Alumni Spotlight: Sarah Howroyd MSW ‘17

Alumni Sarah Howroyd

Sarah Howroyd was born and raised in Manchester, CT. She attended Wheelock College in Boston, MA for her Undergraduate studies.  She received a Bachelor of Social Work degree with Honors while studying there.  Sarah resided in Boston, MA for almost a decade before relocating back to Connecticut in the late 2000’s.  Presently, she lives in West Hartford, CT and loves all things related to health and fitness. Sarah received a Master of Social Work in Administration degree from the University of Connecticut School of Social Work.  Her Focus Area was Mental Health/Substance Use and she was appointed a member of the Golden Key International Honors Society while studying there.  In November 2017, Sarah was presented with the Connecticut National Association of Social Workers (NASW) MSW Student of the Year Award.  This honor is awarded to a student with an above average academic record in addition to having made noteworthy contributions to the professional community beyond the expectations of the field experience. Sarah co-found, designed, and implemented the Manchester, CT HOPE (Heroin/Opioid Prevention and Education) Initiative with Manchester, CT Police Chief Marc Montminy.  The HOPE Initiative is a law-enforcement facilitated community diversion program for people living with Opioid Use Disorder.  The program aims to humanely treat, combat, and diminish the Opioid epidemic by helping those most affected to enter treatment, instead of the criminal justice system.  In June 2017, Sarah was named a Hartford Courant Hometown Hero for her extensive work and commitment to the initiative.  Additionally, she was awarded the first Congressional Connecticut Public Safety Award in the state by Senator Steve Cassano and Connecticut Senate for her, “diligent work in combating Connecticut’s Opioid crisis,” in September 2017. Recently, she was included in Connecticut Magazine’s 40 under 40: The Class of 2020.