Social Work Honor Society Welcomes New Inductees, Celebrates Legacy of Faculty Leaders (05-08-2025)
Virginia Wesleyan University’s Tau Alpha Chapter of the Phi Alpha Honor Society for Social Work recently held its spring induction ceremony, celebrating academic excellence and the enduring impact of faculty leadership. The event was marked by the presence of two distinguished Faculty Emeriti—Dora Dobrin, LCSW, and Sharon Payne, LCSW—whose contributions helped shape the University’s social work program into what it is today.
Dobrin, a charter member of the national Phi Alpha Honor Society, played a pivotal role in its founding in 1962 and later joined VWU’s faculty in 1974, retiring in 1999. Payne, who joined the faculty in 1999, was instrumental in the department’s transformation from Human Services into an accredited Bachelor of Social Work program before her retirement in 2015. The Tau Alpha chapter was officially established at VWU in 2013 by a student in the BSW program.
To be inducted into Phi Alpha, students must rank in the top third of their program and demonstrate excellence in both academic performance and social work practice. This year’s inductees include:
-
Samantha Silvia ’25 – entering the Master of Social Work program at VCU
-
Meadow Spears ’25– entering the Master of Social Work program at VCU
-
Janae Brown ’25 – entering the Master of Social Work program at Norfolk State University
-
Samantha Tortorice ’25 – pursuing a Master of Applied Behavior Analysis
-
Kyla Robberecht ’26
The University congratulates these outstanding students and honors the legacy of social work excellence they continue to uphold.