Student Fellowship
Through funding from the Children’s Bureau Center for Workforce Excellence and Leadership (CWEL), organizers of the 2026 Title IV-E Roundtable will support a cohort of Student Fellows (students must be currently in a funded IV-E program and pursuing a BSW, MSW and PhD/ DSW to be eligible to apply) to share their work at a special session Monday, May 19 and during the Roundtable as selected Student Fellows.
Selected Student Fellows will receive complimentary Roundtable registration and a $1,000 honorarium to support their travel associated with the Roundtable. Fellows will first convene on Monday, May 18 from 6-9pm to participate in a student-only community-building event and to present their work via a traditional format (poster) or creative format (art, spoken word, song, graphic design, digital storytelling, video). This work could include, but is not limited to a classroom or professional project involving child welfare:
- Research
- Policy
- Practice
- Community action
There will be opportunities for Student Fellows to present their work to other Roundtable participants during the conference and to participate in the full Roundtable. Student Fellows will also be asked to support the conference as volunteers during the conference.
Faculty, Administrators and Practicum Supervisors: Please encourage your Title IV-E BSW and MSW scholars/stipend recipients to apply. DSW and PhD students with an emphasis on child welfare practice, workforce, research, evaluation and/or administration are also encouraged to apply.
All applications are due February 1, 2026, by 11:59 pm. Submission will be reviewed and approved by March 1, 2026.
Once approved, Student Fellows will have until March 15, 2026, to notify the selection team that they intend to attend and present and to participate in the student fellow program. It is important for applicants to respond by March 15, 2026. Without confirmation, the team will not hold any spots.
Final projects from selected Student Fellows need to be submitted by April 15, 2026 to allow time for event organizers to print posters and other coordination.
Have a proposal idea and want to talk it through? Questions about the process?
Join the Student Fellows Leadership team during an upcoming drop-in information session:
- January 7: 9am PST/10am MST/11am CT/noon EST
- January 21: 9am PST/10am MST/11am CT/noon EST
Meet the Student Fellows Leadership
The Student Fellows program is being led by two PhD students at the University of Louisville, Kent School of Social Work and Family Science, which is a partner of the Center for Workforce Excellence and Leadership (CWEL).
Cameron Galloway, MSSW, a native of Paducah, Kentucky, is a PhD Student in Social Work at the University of Louisville, committed to improving outcomes for youth transitioning from foster care. He brings 19+ years of lived experience in foster care (aged out of independent living at 21) that shapes his research interests, leadership style, and advocacy approach. He is also a graduate of an HBCU, Kentucky State, where he received his bachelor’s in social work with a minor in criminal justice. Cameron has professional experience across clinical (therapist), educational (School social worker), community-based settings (outreach coordinator, outreach director, independence readiness coordinator, and review grants), and as a Military Police Officer (National Guard, 1LT). Cameron also has experience in public speaking and truth-telling circles about his life story. From growing up in foster care through his undergraduate and graduate college experiences, Cameron remains committed to research-driven practice, youth empowerment, and strengthening the systems that support vulnerable young people.
Andreana Bridges, MSSW is a PhD student and Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Louisville, Kent School of Social Work and Family Science. She is a Title IV-E graduate with over four years of experience as a direct services worker in a public child welfare agency in KY. She has continued working with child welfare projects five years since leaving the Cabinet through Kent’s Center for Family Community Well Being (CFCWB). She evaluates the implementation and outcomes of multiple child welfare interventions and trainings and also facilitates workforce related trainings with local child welfare agencies. She helped build two grassroots nonprofit agencies where she supported staff needs while working to alleviate food insecurity and provide resources to historically and economically marginalized individuals and families, primarily from African American and refugee and immigrant communities. Throughout her career Andreana has been a mentor to students and peers to foster the growth in the Social Work profession.
Contact the Student Fellows Leaders:
- Cameron Galloway: [email protected]
- Andreana Bridges: [email protected]
Students who are not interested in the Student Fellowship Program at the Roundtable are still welcome to attend the conference. Students are also encouraged to partner with other attendees in submitting a workshop proposal for the event. (Note: Due dates for presentations that are not part of the student fellow program are due December 15th as part of the regular conference program and are not eligible for funding.)