In 2021, Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) established the SP2 Social Justice Scholars Program, which cultivates a distinct and impactful learning environment for cohorts of students of color while eliminating the financial burden of a graduate education at Penn. The program offers full-tuition scholarships and specialized, rigorous academic programming for incoming students—with a preference for those graduating from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and minority-serving institutions (MSIs). Now, the first cohort of three SP2 Social Justice Scholars has been announced. These exceptional students—Gianni Morsell, Paloma Brand, and Skye Horbrook— bring unique and varied backgrounds and passions to SP2 and are ardently eager to continue their pursuits of social innovation, impact, and justice—within the Penn community and beyond.

Gianni Morsell, who is completing a degree in political science at Morgan State University in Baltimore, initially planned to become a lawyer. After a number of internships, she worked in a law office. But then, Ms. Morsell and others noticed that many students, staff, and faculty at their institution were dealing with food insecurity, both on and off campus. They came up with a plan to develop an on-campus food pantry and assembled a committee to do so.

“We worked together to develop the Morgan State Food Pantry, which we later renamed to the Morgan State Food Resource Center because we noticed how ‘food pantry’ has a negative connotation—it’s a dreary place where people go to get prepackaged food, and they don’t really get to pick out what they want all of the time,” Ms. Morsell said. “We wanted the Food Resource Center to be more innovative.”

Ms. Morsell, who is entering SP2’s nonprofit leadership (NPL) program in the fall, found out about the SP2 Social Justice Scholars Program through one of her professors. “What really stood out to me about SP2 was that they dedicate a lot of their resources to issues faced in the African American community, and you don’t see that in a lot of other college campuses,” she said. Ms. Morsell views her time as a scholar as a clear continuation of working on the social justice issues that matter most to her.

“Food insecurity in the African American community is really important to me because we should all be granted the same opportunities,” she continued. “There’s always more work that needs to be done, and that’s what I want to do as a Social Justice Scholar— make sure that people get the resources they need, especially in the African American community.”

Paloma Brand, an incoming Social Justice Scholar, completed her undergraduate studies in criminology and criminal justice at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas. Ms. Brand originally envisioned going into the law enforcement field but became more drawn to social theories and criminal theories. Ms. Brand completed an internship with the child support division of her local attorney general’s office before graduating in 2019.

“When I was looking for jobs, most were correctional jobs at juvenile prisons and things like that. I wanted to be in more of a helpful position, so I started working at a shelter for kids in foster care called St. PJ’s, and worked there for about a year,” Ms. Brand said. “I didn’t know much about foster care before that, but I learned a lot there about children in foster care and became really invested in that population, so I started pursuing a career in that and became a case manager at a child placing agency called A World for Children, which is where I work currently.”

She originally applied to Penn’s master of science in criminology program, but deferred a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While researching the program further, Ms. Brand came upon SP2’s master of social work (MSW)/MS in criminology dual degree program.

“I was leaning more toward the social work route anyway, so I thought that would be a really good fit for me, and that’s why I applied,” she explained. “I’m excited to connect with people who are also interested in social justice and learning about more ways to promote social justice, because I’ve mainly been on the volunteering end.” Ms. Brand, who previously volunteered with groups such as the Interfaith Welcome Coalition, looks forward to volunteering with SP2 and Penn-affiliated organizations in Philadelphia, particularly those focused on child welfare.

Skye Horbrook graduated with a degree in computer science from Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland. Attending an HBCU was valuable, as she was able to learn with a community of students with similar backgrounds and cultural experiences. She describes her professional focus as advancing social impact through innovation and community engagement.

“Connecting with communities has been influential toward my career choices. I have volunteered with organizations focused in disaster management and digital equity for people of color,” she said. “I completed a service term in AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps with the American Red Cross and FEMA in multiple locations across the country. I have also worked in tech-related roles at two local nonprofits in southern New Jersey.”

Ms. Horbrook, who will enter the master of science in social policy + data analytics program, was drawn to SP2 both because of the school’s mission and the social change-oriented skills and knowledge offered in the MSSP+DA curriculum.

“SP2 appealed to me as an institution that is invested in developing students that would be pillars of change in their communities. The MSSP + DA program stood out to me as an opportunity to grow as a public interest technologist,” she said. “The curriculum focuses on policy analysis, research, and evaluation skills through data processing techniques, which I value considerably. I aspire to bridge policy and data together and this program is a great fit for me as I advance in my career.”

During her time as a Social Justice Scholar and SP2 student, Ms. Horbrook looks forward to enriching students’ learning experiences by stimulating class discussions and skill development alike, forging a supportive community of students and faculty, and building on the connections that she makes at SP2.

“The social justice topics that drive me the most are digital equity, education, urban development, and disaster management,” Ms. Horbrook said. “To me, a critical part of being a Social Justice Scholar is understanding the value of connecting with communities. Through these connections, I can uplift the stories of these communities and work with them to cultivate growth.”

Over the longer term, the SP2 Social Justice Scholars Program aims to expand its recipient pool each year and fund graduate educations for 12 students over the next five years.