Always a Warrior: Alumni Association Chapters Seek to Connect Stan State Graduates

Mannard, who grew up in San Luis Obispo and earned her undergraduate degree there at Cal Poly, attended a Mustangs alumni group gathering at the Dust Bowl in Turlock and, surprised to find 50 people gathered a good three-hour drive from their university, thought, “why don’t we have something like that for the Stan State MSW program? 

“I come across students and people who recently graduated, and I counsel Kaiser mental health clinicians,” Mannard said. “Many of them get thrown right into the fire out of grad school into Kaiser. I was thinking how important it is to support the newly graduated, and I wanted to connect alumni with new graduates or people who are interested in the field, because there’s so much you can do with a degree.” 

She created Facebook and LinkedIn pages, hoping members would share their information so students could connect with those working in areas that interest them. 

“Social Work is the academic curriculum we learn at school, but a lot of what we do is work with people during the hardest time of their life, dealing with crisis,” Mannard said. “You can’t learn that in a book. It’s important social workers are supported because it is hard, and it can be intimidating and scary when you’re first starting out.” 

When she attended her son’s Stan State graduation in May 2024 and saw the Alumni Association table, Mannard saw the potential for her idea to grow. 

With the assistance of Director of Alumni Engagement Tiffany Davis, who walked her through the process, Mannard formed the first alumni chapter, the Master of Social Work Chapter at Stanislaus State, which is seeking more members. 

“We were thrilled to have alumni reach out expressing interest in building community,” said Davis, who has served in her role for just over a year. “Loren asked about existing alumni clubs or organizations. At the time, our Alumni Council was in the process of revising its bylaws, so we took the opportunity to also update our Alumni Chapter Handbook to better support alumni in forming officially recognized chapters.” 

While Mannard was organizing her MSW chapter, Johnson, a 2021 sociology graduate who’d earned a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California, attended a mixer for Black alumni last fall. She’d arrived lateso stayed longer and visited with Davis and Director of Presidential Initiatives Neisha Rhodes, who’d helped her launch Sistas in Support. 

“I have a hard time saying no to things I’m passionate about,” Johnson said. “Neisha threw it out there. She said you should take the lead on creating a chapter.” 

Johnson thought she didn’t have time for something like that and was soon moving from working for a Sacramento non-profit agency to working in the office of a freshman state representative. But, she changed her mind, grateful, she said, for the CSU and her supportive family in Stockton. 

“Because it took a village to raise me, and I value community a lot, I want this to succeed,” Johnson said. “You never know who is going to need somebody to lean on. That’s why I wanted to have a one-stop shop, which could be this chapter, could be the whole Alumni Association. Whatever anyone’s needs are, we want to have something in place for when the time comes.” 

Once she made up her mind to help, Johnson connected with Davis and her assistant, Kyanna Davis, and pretty soon was calling on college friends to help launch the Black Alumni Chapter. 

“I wanted to build a foundation so people would know that their time at Stan State mattered, and we are continuing to provide them with resources, opportunities for mentorship, opportunities to connect, help them with resume building,” Johnson said. “We’re open to any ideas. Whatever they want, they can have a place to come to voice their opinion and share what is needed for them as an alum.” 

Similar to Mannard’s goal, Johnson wants to connect with current students, but first, she wants to meet the needs of alums, establish the chapter’s foundation. 

“We want to continue to create a space where people can connect and support each other and grow together,” Johnson said. 

Still in its infancy, having been approved by the Alumni Council in March, The Black Alumni Chapter has been meeting on Zoom. 

“What we plan to do in the future is hold different programs, virtually and in person, networking events, career panels, leadership development workshops,” Johnson said. “We have a lot of hopes for this group.” 

So does Mannard. 

“I know younger people don’t use Facebook that much, but I think it’s going to be important to connect social workers in the community with new graduates,” Mannard said. “If you want to go into private practice, you do have to get your license. That’s a two-year process after your master's degree, where you have 3,000 hours of supervision, then you take a state exam. When I went through it, there were no other social workers to practice with, so I was practicing with a Master of Psychology student. Now, there are so many of us out here who can help those new social workers, help with that exam preparation. There is a shortage of social workers and a shortage of mental health therapists nationwide. The more we can support them and train them, the better for our community and everyone.” 

Her comfort and knowledge of Facebook made it logical for Mannard to use it to set up the outreach to fellow MSW grads and current students. She has about 40 followers but considers the hundreds of graduates after nearly 30 years of program’s existence. What the page offers is invaluable. 

“The Facebook group or another virtual way is where people could research different alumni so someone could say, ‘hey I want to learn more about hospice social work,’ and find someone in that field,” Mannard said. 

“If there were professors who would want us to speak, we have amazing alumni,” Mannard said. 

Getting the word out to alumni that there is a space for them is the work underway by both new chapters. 

“We want to establish a solid foundation, create an active membership base,” Johnson said. “Inclusivity is at our core. We recognize everyone comes from different backgrounds. We have different jobs, different lives, but we want to cultivate that supportive message. You can always go back to Stan State. You’re always a Warrior and we’re always there for you.” 

That’s Davis’ message, too. 

“As Stan State continues to grow, so does the strength of our alumni community,” Davis said. “The launch of these two new alumni chapters is just the beginning of a vibrant movement to deepen connections, celebrate shared experiences, and create lasting impact.” 

Anyone looking to connect with fellow Warriors in a region, or around a common interest, the Stan State Alumni Chapters and Networks webpage has a registration form and information for starting a chapter, and Davis is eager to help. She can be reached at alumni@csustan.edu.