Helping the Homeless

Kara Masi enrolled at Delaware Tech because it offers the state's only associate degree paramedic program. Once she got all her pre-requisites out of the way, however, she realized her calling to help people was in a very different capacity than EMS.

After speaking to her advisor, Masi processed her feelings and what she wanted to do with her life. She ultimately listened to her intuition to give the human services program a try, and it turned out to be a great fit.

"I loved the human services program," Masi said. "From day one, in my Intro to Human Services class, I knew that I found where I belonged."

One of Masi's favorite things about being a human services student was the hands-on experience she gained in the two internships that are built into the program.

"You can learn something, you can read about it, but it's not until you actually do it that you start to pull out those skills that you've been learning from those classes," Masi said.

Now, Masi works for Whatcoat Social Services, an emergency shelter and an extension of People's Place, where she worked as an intern during her time in the human services program.

She loves her job and enjoys working with the homeless population, even though sometimes it can be tough.

"The homeless population is very complex. You can have 30 different clients and their stories can all be different, and the way they became homeless is different," said Masi. "Working in this position forces you to think outside of the box when working with clients. No two people are the same, so the approach can't be the same in order to provide that support to self-sufficiency."

Masi is currently working on her bachelor's degree in social work, and her ultimate goal is to become a licensed clinical social worker and work with families who have experienced pregnancy and child loss.

She would also love to return to Del Tech as an instructor to give back to the College and students who want to be in the human services field.