(RALEIGH, NC) – The National Association of Social Workers North Carolina Chapter (NASW-NC) has named Zoe Brannon as the recipient of the 2024 NASW-NC Toby Brown Award for Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) undergraduate students for the 2023-2024 academic year. Zoe is an outstanding student at the University of North Carolina Charlotte (UNCC) and within her community.
The award recognizes a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) student in North Carolina who best reflects and represents the ethics, values, and passion in the field of social work through exemplary performance in social work coursework, field placement, student social work associations, and community organizations.
Zoe has been an active member of the UNCC campus community, serving as secretary for UNCC student organizations Advocates for Change and Triota (the Women’s and Gender Studies Honors Society) and as a mentor/ambassador for the UNCC Gen-X Learning Community. Additionally, Zoe’s BSW internship was at the UNCC Office of Disability Services. Throughout her internship, Zoe was able to collaborate and partner with other on-campus departments, working to make sure that the needs of students with disabilities on campus are met. Zoe also educated students and faculty on the importance of disability awareness and, in her final semester, facilitated her own social support group for Black students with disabilities. For Zoe, “it was important for me to create a dedicated space to Black students with disabilities that would bridge us together instead of feeling isolated with our identities.”
In addition to her work with campus organizations, Zoe served as a Care Coordinator for CA-LINC (Linking Individuals Needing Care). In this role, she helped to create culturally competent resources for Black youth around suicide risk and prevention. While in school, Zoe also served as a Prevention Fellow for Addictions Professionals of North Carolina (APNC) and launched her own fundraising and engagement project, “Road to Reentry,” seeking to support formerly incarcerated women of color. Zoe’s hard work and dedication to the profession has not gone unnoticed. UNCC social work professor Terri Matthews said, “Zoe always has the best interest of others at heart and shows a genuine desire to help improve the lives of her clients and the conditions of her community. I am impressed with Zoe’s commitment to challenging herself to learn new skills and gain new knowledge to become an effective social worker. There are a few students who will cross our paths that I know I will remember long after my teaching career is over. Zoe is one of those students.”
After graduation, Zoe plans to take a gap year before going back to school. During this gap year, she will continue her partnership with APNC as an intern, while also working for the City of Raleigh Summer Youth Employment program, helping youth and teens find jobs and grow their professionalism and work ethic. The National Association of Social Workers North Carolina Chapter (NASW-NC) is a membership organization of professional social workers with over 4,800 members in North Carolina. NASW promotes, develops, and protects the practice of social work and social workers. NASW-NC also seeks to enhance the well-being of individuals, families, and communities through its advocacy.
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