Advise, support and exchange ideas. Social Work Alumni Advocate Partners (SWAAP) are passionate UW School of Social Work graduates who voluntarily serve as alumni advocates. They are equity-driven mentors who inspire and support prospective and current BASW, MSW and PhD students as well as early career alumni seeking valuable alumni perspectives.

Why join SWAAP?
Volunteering for SWAAP provides alumni with enriching opportunities for résumé building, networking and community building—while giving back to their UW alma mater. We invite alums to share their wisdom and experience with the next generation of social work students and to help us elevate the social work profession by mentoring and supporting Huskies!

Potential SWAAP activities
Activities include: advising with prospective students (via email or Zoom); mentoring current students or young/early career alumni; managing the annual alumni awards nominations and selection; attending quarterly meetings, and participating in social media takeovers. SWAAP members also help with School and campus-wide event planning as well as internal School events such as alumni panels and recruitment opportunities. 

Advising and mentorship
SWAAP members are expected to advise prospective students, current students and young/early career alumni throughout the year. Prospective-student advising requests are typically busiest in Oct./Nov. and March/April. Current students and alumni requests are less predictive and may increase near the end of the academic year. 

Time commitment
We ask that members commit to a nine-month term (Sept.–June) and attend SWAAP quarterly meetings (virtual is an option for those not in the area, post-pandemic). In addition to quarterly meetings, members may volunteer for sub-committees as the need arise. We also ask that members attend one to two School events per year. 

Overall, we predict the quarterly commitment to be anywhere from 5 to 10 hours. We always encourage SWAAP members to inform us if they are receiving too many requests or unable to fulfill these expectations. It's important that SWAAP members reliably communicate with us and the students they serve.

Applications for the 2023–24 cohort will open in Spring 2023. If you would like to be kept up to date on the 2023–24 cohort applications, please fill out the form here

Related Story
New alumni committee sets priorities based on recent alumni survey results—School of Social Work News & Events, Oct. 6, 2021