Featured Alumni

Roy Earnest

Class of 1982

In late July, Roy Earnest (’82) received the Icon Award from KPIX for his work on the Kahuna Kupuna Benefit Surf Contest in Pacifica, California. Meaning “Big Chief, Wise Elder” in the Hawaiian language, this contest started in 2000 to create a more inclusive surf competition for older adults, addressing a gap he saw in the community. Over the next 25 years, Roy provided surfers aged 40 to 80 the opportunity to ride the waves on anything from surfboards to inflatable mats. But for Roy, this was more than just a surf contest; it was a way to give back to the community he loved and promote healthy aging—two causes he dedicated his education and career to.

A fellow Berkeley student, he entered the halls of Haviland because of its strong and focused programming for those interested in working with older adults, like himself. During his time here, he not only worked in the In-Home Support Services Unit in Marin County and at the San Francisco Senior Center, but also met his wife of 41 years, Nancy Littlefield (’81). Upon graduation, Roy would go on to work for Catholic Charities, manage a 110 HUD-subsidized unit apartment complex in the Mission for older adults, join the advisory council for the Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion Program, start a beach cleanup program that would turn into the Pacifica Beach Coalition, and serve as a program officer for the Northern California office of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), overseeing grants for AmeriCorps, VISTA and Senior Corps volunteer programs. He would also produce Surfing for Life (1990), a documentary about older surfers as an example of healthy aging. This production won Best Documentary and the Audience Award at the 1999 Hawai’i International Film Festival and catalyzed the Kahuna Kupuna Benefit Surf Contest.

These days, Roy dedicates his time to serving as Chair of the Pacifica Age-Friendly Community Initiative and staying active through volunteer work—because, as he jokes, “Social workers never retire; they keep going to meetings.” Reflecting on his journey and offering advice to current Haviland students, Roy emphasized that Haviland is just the beginning—education and growth continue throughout a lifetime, and he’s living proof of that:

They should be proud that they’ve chosen a great profession with a great history of helping people in a professional, thoughtful way…We learn ethics, how to treat people with respect, and give people the room to figure out what they want to do with their lives.

Thomas Weisbrich

Class of 2025

Last May, Thomas Weisbrich (‘25) graduated from Berkeley’s MSW program. Primarily working in behavioral health before his time at the university, Thomas completed his undergraduate education in Psychology at the University of San Francisco before transitioning to work at the Progress Foundation, which provides residential treatment to those experiencing mental health crises and homelessness. Here, he served as a counselor and case manager before being promoted to an assistant manager and later to a program manager. In program management, Thomas became enamored with policy and organizational management, the more macro aspects of social work, leading him to Berkeley.

Thomas loved his time in Haviland. While he appreciated the coursework the program offered, the true treasure was the cohort of radical students he learned from. They pushed Thomas’s critical consciousness, his ability to create imaginative solutions for overcoming client problems, and to never accept the status quo. Beyond the classroom, Thomas’s internships at CASAS and the San Francisco Human Service Agency’s Planning Team were pivotal to his career. His work at CASAS was particularly influential as it introduced him to the political, organizational, and financial landscape of aging services and prepared him for a summer internship and his post-graduation employment.

Following graduation, Thomas started working at Contra Costa County’s Area Agency as a Program Analyst, overseeing their Senior Nutrition Program, which provides congregate and home-delivered meals to older adults experiencing food insecurity. Here, he manages grants and contracts between the county and local community-based organizations, totaling $7 million in combined funding. Comparing it to his colleagues in direct practice, Thomas finds that while they have a caseload of clients, he has a caseload of organizations with which he partners closely to maximize their effect.

Reflecting on his time at Haviland, Thomas emphasized that students should take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself during their education. This includes getting to know students you usually don’t talk to or speaking with the guest lecturer you may never see again:

Now is your time to push yourself into new ideas, new places, new friendships, and expand your network… You never know what may lie behind a door you open, and right now you are surrounded by doors.