Angelique Day, assistant professor of social work at Wayne State University, has been named one of NerdScholar's "40 Under 40: Professors Who Inspire."

NerdScholar, the higher education branch of the consumer finance website NerdWallet, selected Day from a national pool of faculty under the age of 40 who were nominated for the top-40 distinction based on their ability to captivate and engage students in the classroom, their outstanding involvement on campus and in the community, and their overwhelming passion for their subject matter. Nominations were collected through student, alumni and faculty recommendations following an open call to several hundred colleges and universities across the country.

A member of the School of Social Work faculty since 2011, Day is also director of the university's Transition to Independence Program, which is designed to boost retention of WSU students aging out of foster care. TIP provides eligible students with free academic, social, financial, legal and mental health services through a partnership with Detroit-area organizations and with assistance from key university departments.

NerdScholar, which provides free online advice to help students choose a best-fit college, apply for financial aid, take out student loans, and land a job, announced its "40 Under 40" the week of March 23. On its site, it says "the best professors do more than teach. They leave impressions on our lives that change the way we think, work and view the world around us. These 40 professors are doing just that, demonstrating the difference between good and great. [T]hese women and men - not that much older than their students - are inspiring the young adults of today to be the world leaders and thinkers of tomorrow."

Day, who advises federal and state child welfare initiatives, told NerdScholar that TIP is her proudest accomplishment. Retention of TIP students is at 69.7%, which is on par with the university's first-year retention rate of 70% and well above first-year retention data for foster care youth around the country.

Please view Day's "40 Under 40" profile here: http://www.nerdwallet.com/feature/40-Under-40-Professors-2015#Angelique-Day

More on the Transition to Independence Program can be found here: http://www.tipwaynestate.org/