Congratulations Emily Dragone, MSW '2021, for winning the NASW-NYS Nassau County Division 2021 Scholarship!
Emily was born and raised in Bayville, NY. She graduated with high honors from Locust Valley High School and then graduated cum laude from SUNY Oneonta with a B.S. in Child and Family Studies in 2015. As mental health, addiction, cancer, and suicide, impacted Emily’s family, she developed an understanding of resiliency and the motivation to help others overcome life’s difficult situations. While working with homeless youth and families, Emily strengthened her advocacy and program development skills to help mitigate the effects that oppressive systems have on vulnerable populations. From the development of a LGBTQ+ youth leadership group, creating a restorative justice model for homeless teenagers, to assisting in the creation of a nonprofit to reduce food insecurity for students, her goal has always been to create a lasting impact on the people and systems she interacts with. Emily is a second year MSW student at Stony Brook University, with a dual specialization in Integrated Health and Community Policy & Political Social Action. She has interned at Hempstead High School and at Family Service League, providing crisis intervention at DASH and clinical counseling. Her positions with New York Social Action, assisting in development of The People's Plan, and the School of Social Welfare graduate student government, has strengthened her leadership and advocacy skills. In 2020 she co-authored her first article and is working as a research assistant. Emily’s goal is to bring a sense of hope to the world by empowering individuals while addressing the intersectionality of injustices that continue to oppress communities. Emily spends her down time reading, summers on the beach, and loves live music. She has embraced a lifelong commitment to learning, advocating, and supporting those around her.
