York Alum Fatima Mabrouk Earns PhD, Commencement Honor

As York College/CUNY prepares to celebrate its Class of 2026, the College is also proud to recognize the continued achievements of its alumni community. Among them is Fatima A. Mabrouk, a member of the York College Class of 2017, who will graduate with a PhD from New York University’s Silver School of Social Work and has been selected to deliver her class commencement address.

Dr. Mabrouk will join the University at Albany School of Social Welfare this fall as a tenure‑track assistant professor. Her research examines how racism, racial microaggressions, and other forms of structural violence affect the well‑being and career trajectories of Black women professionals, with a focus on advancing equity, inclusion, and psychological safety.

An educator and equity advocate, Dr. Mabrouk has taught at Hunter College, Simmons University, and Columbia University, with a focus on mental health, social policy, and institutional equity. She has also served as a consultant in the Office of Social Inclusion and held national leadership roles with the Society for Social Work and Research, expanding platforms for scholarly engagement.

Mabrouk’s contributions have been recognized with multiple honors, including the CUNY Women’s Recognition Award, the Community Impact Award, and the Outstanding Doctoral Student Award from the Association of Community Organization and Social Action.

Dr. Selena T. Rodgers, founding chair of York College’s Master of Social Work (MSW) program and current chairperson of the Social Work Department, praised her former student’s achievements. “From serving as a York College Social Work Club past president, to walking across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, in recognition of the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, and now taking her rightful seat at the professoriate table, it has been my honor to academically mother and mentor Dr. Scholar Fatima A. Mabrouk,” said Dr. Rodgers. “She is blossoming and cementing her empirical footprint in academia.”

Mabrouk, a proud daughter of Egyptian parents, reflected on the support she received at York and credited two mentors. “My roots at York College’s Department of Social Work shaped not only my academic path but my purpose, grounding me in a commitment to justice and community,” Mabrouk explained. “I am deeply grateful to Isabelle Hubert and Dr. Selena T. Rodgers, whose mentorship and unwavering belief in me helped transform possibility into purpose.” On Tuesday (May 12), Dr. Mabrouk, also a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) 2025–2026 Minority Doctoral Fellow, will deliver the commencement address for the Silver School of Social Work graduation ceremony. Dr. Rodgers plans to attend the ceremony alongside the Mabrouk family.

Nearly a decade after graduating from York College, Dr. Mabrouk continues to give back to the campus community, most recently returning as a virtual guest lecturer in Dr. Rodgers’ Social Research Methods course. Her lecture offered students insights into qualitative methods, dissertation research, practice‑informed approaches, and social work advocacy in Albany, New York.

Her doctoral dissertation, “Black Women Social Workers Who Face Racial Microaggressions in Nonprofit Mental Health Organizations: Experiences, Coping, and Perceptions of Organizational Support,” examines the psychological toll of systemic inequities. Her recent publications include Beyond Survival: “Reframing Racial Microaggressions Experiences of Black Women Social Workers Within Nonprofit Workplace Settings and The Myth of Neutrality: Toward a Courageous, Justice-Oriented Social Work Praxis.”