On May 18, 2026, Wurzweiler School of Social Work celebrated the commencement of the largest graduating class in its history. The day was filled with inspiring speeches, celebration, and memorable moments shared with family, friends, and faculty.
For one graduate, Rachel G., one of those moments came full circle.
Years earlier, during her parents' divorce, Rachel G. attended therapy at the age of eight with Wurzweiler Assistant Professor Dr. Rachel Fryman, an experience she describes as formative. Rachel G. recalls how those therapy sessions made her feel understood and helped reduce the stigma she felt around both divorce and therapy. Fryman helped her feel, in her words, "normal." Those conversations stayed with her long after therapy ended and ultimately inspired her to pursue a career in social work.
Rachel G. was so impacted by the experience that she wrote in her Wurzweiler admissions essay about her desire to one day become "the Rachel" for someone else. It wasn't until her third semester, while taking Philosophical Foundations of Social Work, that she recognized her professor's name. She looked into Dr. Fryman's professional background, confirmed the timing with her mother, and later spoke with Dr. Fryman during an online office hours session. The conversation confirmed that their paths had unexpectedly crossed again.
Dr. Fryman reflected on how meaningful the reunion was for her as well.
“I was a newer clinician back then earning hours towards my LCSW- at the clinic I worked with a diverse population, including facilitating a single mothers' group as well as seeing children impacted by divorce, trauma, and navigating neurodivergence. It was a formative experience for me and full circle to hear a former client is now graduating and entering the field.â€
Rachel G. described the graduation ceremony as surreal and "quite beautiful." Their reunion was an emotional moment for both Rachel G. and Dr. Fryman, representing the culmination of a journey that began years earlier and the start of Rachel G.’s career in social work.
Now beginning her career working with children, Rachel G. hopes to provide culturally competent care while remembering the lasting impact a therapist can have, sometimes in ways they may never fully know.
