Petersheim Travel Award Recipient Alyson O’Neill Presents Research at National Social Work Convention

During the annual Petersheim Academic Exposition in 2025, which celebrated and promoted pupil and school analysis, Seton Hall University
honored Alyson O’Neill with a Student Travel Award. These awards help college students
in presenting their analysis at nationwide conferences, offering invaluable alternatives
to share findings with specialists and friends, foster skilled connections and contribute
to advancing the sector. Conferences like these play a vital position within the dissemination
of information, collaboration and profession growth.

Alyson O’Neill, a social work Seton Hall graduate now pursuing her Master of Social
Work (MSW) at Rutgers University, was acknowledged for her educational excellence and dedication
to advancing vital conversations in social work. With the help of the Petersheim
Travel Award, Alyson traveled to New Orleans to current on the 2026 annual convention
hosted by the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors.

Founded in 1975, the Association represents almost 800 members, together with program
administrators, college, discipline coordinators, practitioners and college students, all dedicated
to selling excellence in undergraduate social work training and apply. The 2026
convention, themed “Rising Together: Shaping the Future of Social Work in a Time of
Accelerated Change,” introduced collectively rising students and leaders from throughout the
nation to share revolutionary analysis and interact in significant dialogue concerning the occupation’s
future.

Alyson offered her Seton Hall senior capstone undertaking, “Safe Consumption Sites (SCS):
An Effective Harm Reduction Strategy,” underneath the mentorship of Dawn Apgar, Ph.D. Her analysis examined secure consumption websites as supervised environments that cut back
overdose deaths, stop the unfold of illnesses like HIV and hepatitis C and join
people to companies equivalent to housing, psychological well being care and substance use therapy.
She highlighted the urgency of the disaster, noting rising world substance use and
over 73,000 fentanyl-related deaths within the United States in 2022.

Her work additionally emphasised neighborhood and moral impacts. Safe consumption websites can
cut back public drug use, enhance neighborhood security and decrease reliance on emergency
companies. Grounded in social work values, Alyson highlighted the position of social employees
in offering help, connecting assets and advocating for equitable, evidence-based
hurt discount insurance policies.

In addition to presenting her analysis, Alyson’s participation within the convention positioned
her for continued management inside the social work neighborhood. Building on the energy
and affect of her work, she is stepping right into a management position related to her convention
involvement, a chance that displays each her dedication to the sector and her
potential to affect future social work apply and coverage.

Reflecting the spirit of the Petersheim Travel Award, Alyson’s expertise highlights
the significance of supporting pupil analysis {and professional} growth. Opportunities
like these empower college students to have interaction with broader educational {and professional} communities,
refine their scholarship and contribute to significant social change.

Students excited by comparable alternatives are inspired to take part within the
Petersheim Academic Exposition and discover faculty-mentored analysis tasks. Experiences
like Alyson’s show how undergraduate analysis can function a robust basis
for graduate examine, management and impactful careers.

Categories:
Alumni, Nation and World, Research