Q & A with Chris Carlozzo, LMSW, '18, BSW '17,
School Social Worker
How did your time at SSW shape your path into the work you’re doing today?
My time at SSW provided valuable opportunities to learn from experienced professionals—both staff and faculty—who modeled excellence in the field. The program also encouraged personal determination and supported my drive for learning, helping to shape the direction of my professional journey.
Can you share a pivotal moment(s) or lesson(s) from your time as a social work student that still sticks with you?
I have two:
- When a professor explained to my mother at graduation that they wished they had 10 of me in the program.
- When I wrote my first paper for Dr. Rabeno and he asked me nicely if I had ever written a paper before! He made me a better writer.
What kind of work are you currently doing, and what excites you about it?
Since 2018, I’ve been working as a School Social Worker across various settings—including elementary, middle, high school, and district-wide roles focused on supporting students in foster care and those experiencing homelessness. Starting this September, I’ll be based at the district’s largest elementary school, which serves over 1,000 students.
In addition to my school-based work, I’m also a therapist at Hope House, and since 2020, I’ve had the opportunity to teach one class per semester at the Stony Brook School of Social Welfare. Courses I’ve taught include Contemporary Social Justice Issues and The Political Economy of Social Welfare.
What excites me most is the ability to work directly with students and communities while also helping to shape future social workers through teaching.
Are there skills or perspectives you gained in school that you didn’t fully appreciate until you were in the profession?
Enrolling in the school social work class was a major eye-opener for me—it laid the groundwork for much of what I now do in practice, especially when it comes to applying policy in real-world settings. At the time, I didn’t fully grasp just how relevant those lessons would become.
I also remember hearing from several people that school social work isn't always what it seems, and they were right. There’s a great deal of politics and red tape involved that you don’t fully understand until you're in the role. That said, those challenges have deepened my appreciation for the complexity of the work and the importance of being both adaptable and persistent.
If you could go back and give your student self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Don't fall asleep in Professor Rabeno's class!!
Don't burn the candle at both ends, or you will have no more candle.
What would you say to current students who are just beginning their journey?
Take it slow, prioritize, manage tasks, and organize. We can't do everything, but we can do a lot more than we know we are capable of. Sometimes it is as simple as mind over matter and compartmentalizing.
