Elevating Impact

The University at Buffalo's Social Impact Fellowship is a transformative program designed for aspiring change-makers who are eager to tackle pressing societal challenges head-on. This webinar will provide you with an in-depth understanding of the fellowship and its impact on student learning and the local Buffalo community. The webinar will be hosted by Clinical Associate Professor from the School of Social Work, Michael Lynch, who has taught in the program since 2019, and a graduate of the program, Elizabeth Ramirez, who is finishing her MBA/MSW degrees at the University at Buffalo.

About Michael Lynch and Elizabeth Ramirez
Michael Lynch, LMSW, is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University at Buffalo School of Social Work. He works with the field department, placing students with relevant agencies so they will have both a meaningful impact and experience. His focus stems from his belief that fieldwork is a bridge to connect both students and the school with people, agencies, and community—to work being done on the ground; giving students the opportunity to offer real help directly to those who need it, and to apply their classroom learning in real-life situations.

Elizabeth Ramirez (she/her/ellas) is a first-generation Dominican American pursuing a dual Master's in Business Administration and Social Work at the University at Buffalo. Elizabeth's professional experience includes providing one-on-one social-emotional support for over 200 youth in New York, leadership roles overseeing 12 year-round youth and adult programs, and forging partnerships to enhance access to support services and fundraising for community development. Since moving to Buffalo, Elizabeth has delivered social justice training to over 300+ professionals, optimizing operations for local nonprofits, participating in diversity and inclusion committees at UB, and collaborating with M&T's Business Banking team to amplify community impact. Her goal is to bridge the gap between the nonprofit and corporate sectors, leveraging her skills to promote social programs, small businesses and the entrepreneurial spirit in Buffalo. In the past year, Elizabeth launched "Ely's Empanadas" to share the flavors of Dominican cuisine with Buffalo's streets. Elizabeth attributes her motivation, values and estilo to her mother, Adalgiza Rivera, who instilled in her the importance of perseverance and cultural pride in her pursuit of social justice.