Carmen Jimenez-Pride Memorial Scholarship Fund

Carmen Jimenez-Pride’s life was a testimony to healing, innovation, and love for community. As a licensed clinical social worker and trauma therapist, she spent more than 15 years guiding children, families, and adults through some of life’s most difficult challenges. But Carmen didn’t just treat symptoms—she created new tools to change lives. From developing Focus on Feelings®, an emotional literacy curriculum now used by clinicians worldwide, to founding Diversity in Play Therapy, she consistently broke barriers and centered cultural humility in every space she entered. What made Carmen extraordinary was not just her long list of credentials, but her heart. She believed deeply in the power of representation and fought to ensure that Black women, children, and families saw themselves reflected in the therapeutic process. She gave voice to racial and cultural trauma, empowering clinicians to serve with empathy, awareness, and justice. The Carmen Jimenez Pride Memorial Endowed Scholarship carries forward this legacy by supporting African American women studying social work at the University of South Carolina and Benedict College. By giving to this scholarship, donors are not only honoring Carmen’s remarkable contributions—they are helping shape the next generation of social workers who, like Carmen, will heal, uplift, and transform lives.