Bostonia: CADER Certified Firefighter Abdul Jabbar Muhammad (MSW’25) Shares His Journey to Achieve a Master of Social Work Degree
Abdul Jabbar Muhammad (MSW’25) talked to BU’s Bostonia about his experiences as a firefighter and how they shaped his decision to pursue certification from the Center for Aging Education & Research (CADER) at BU School of Social Work (BUSSW). After completing CADER courses, Muhammad enrolled in the School’s MSW Pathways onboarding program before starting his Master of Social Work degree at BUSSW.
Excerpt from “This Boston Firefighter Wants to Help the Elderly—So He’s Becoming a Social Worker, Too” by Molly Callahan, originally posted in Bostonia:
To that end, he enrolled in BU School of Social Work’s in-person Master of Social Work program. It’s challenging work, he says, but worthwhile.
‘It’s all about working together, connecting all these services, and having that training, and we can really help people,’ Muhammad says. ‘City employees, family members working together to say to someone [with an elderly family member in need], “Here’s a phone number you can call that’s not going to be punitive. We’re not judging. We want to help you to understand that you can be a part of their life, even in these conditions.’’’”