05/29/2026
Celebrating another MSW graduate
Spring commencement ceremonies may be over, but we're still celebrating our ! Today's highlight is Rachel Casey, who graduated this spring with a Master's in Social Work from the UNR School of Social Work!
"Master of Social Work Summer 2026. I did it yalls!!!! I did it!!!!
This moment means more to me than any words could fully explain.
There was a time in my life when this felt impossible. I was a single mom trying to survive, navigating systems that were never meant to be easy, relying on welfare, food stamps, catching the public bus to TMCC rain or shine, and wondering if life would ever become more than just getting by, scrapping by…
I wasn’t handed a roadmap. I was trying to read it while walking it.
As a first-generation student, every step forward came with uncertainty. I balanced full-time work, full-time school, internships, parenting, poverty grief, trauma, exhaustion, and moments where I truly questioned if I could keep going.
But I did…..a lot of us did….
Not because it was easy, but because I knew there had to be more for my children, for my future, and for the people I hoped to help one day.
From TMCC to UNR, this journey transformed me in ways I never expected. Social work became more than a degree it became purpose. Through community work, advocacy, mutual aid, and serving vulnerable populations, I found healing in helping others.
I learned that our pain does not disqualify us. Sometimes it becomes the very thing that allows us to connect, empathize, and fight harder for others.
There were moments I felt completely alone carrying the weight of addiction in my family, losing my sibling, navigating difficult family dynamics, and silently battling depression, anxiety, and trauma.
But I refused to let those moments define my ending.
To my classmates thank you for the laughs, the snacks, the Starbucks and Dutch runs, the encouragement, and the shared understanding that only we could truly understand. We carried invisible stories into every classroom, and somehow we still showed up for each other rain or shine!
To my professors, mentors, family, friends, and my children, thank you for believing in me, especially during moments I struggled to believe in myself.
It is proof that cycles can be broken.
That healing is possible.
That education changes lives.
That resilience matters.
That people from difficult beginnings still deserve beautiful futures.
To anyone who feels unseen, unheard, stuck, or like they are starting from the bottom please keep going. Your story is not over yet. We are changemakers. We are advocates. We are social workers. And no matter where we go from here, we carry with us the responsibility and the privilege of making this world a little more just, a little more compassionate, and a little more human.
If I can make it here, so can you. This picture can be you.
Master of Social Work, Class of 2026
We didn’t come this far just to come this far."
is a series designed to highlight the extraordinary and amazing students' personalities graduating from the University of Nevada, Reno. To be featured in , please send in a photo and some information about the graduate to [email protected].
