Annual Gifts, Major Impact

Hannah Gin.

Hannah Ginn is grateful for the financial support provided by one of her mentors, Jackie McGinley.

Hannah Ginn was shocked when she received $2,000 toward her studies. She had not asked for the money. However, as a doctoral student in the School of Social Work, she needed the funds to complete her research. Ginn is currently studying how policies restrict the sexual rights of women with intellectual disabilities. 

To Ginn’s surprise, the gift was provided by one of her mentors, Jackie McGinley, PhD ’18. The community of scholars in social work who study disability is a small but tight-knit group, says Ginn. The two met when Ginn began her doctoral studies, connecting over coffee to discuss research opportunities within the field.

“I feel incredibly grateful for the support I received from her. That connection means a lot to me, especially when I initially came into the program. It made me immediately feel a part of the community,” says Ginn, who will use the gift to fund data collection that strengthens her dissertation. 

McGinley, an assistant professor of social work at Binghamton University who studies aging and end-of-life care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, provided the gift to recognize Ginn for her research and to encourage her to continue working in the field. 

“One of the greatest contributors to my own burnout early in my career was there not being a big enough workforce to do this work,” says McGinley. “I don’t want to be the person who says this is a problem for the next 20 years.”

In 2016, McGinley helped establish another award that acknowledges a student who is active in the field. The Susan Nochajski and Jacqueline McGinley Excellence in Disability Practice Award, which also honors the late wife of School of Social Work professor emeritus Thomas Nochajski, PhD ’90, BA ’82, provides $500 to a social work student each year. 

Next, McGinley will partner with School of Social Work Professor Deborah Waldrop to launch the Intellectual and Developmental Disability Experiential Learning Fund. The annual stipend will provide books and travel funds to a student enrolled in the Social Work Practice in Serious Illness Care Micro-Credential, which prepares participants to work with people with severe physical or mental illnesses or disabilities.

“Although my method of giving is small, I believe it’s impactful,” says McGinley, who has donated to UB each year since she was a student, starting with gifts as little as $5. “I want to say to others out there that you can do meaningful work with small amounts of money.” 

Jackie McGinley.

Paying It Forward

“I had a student in my class ask, ‘Why would anyone mentor someone else when they’re not getting paid for it.’ I was honestly confused by the question,” says Jackie McGinley. “I view mentorship as paying forward the work of my mentors. I would not be where I am today without professors Deborah Waldrop and Laina Bay-Cheng and others. Mentoring is being a good citizen and alumna.”