Growing up in Lynn, Massachusetts, Cassandra C. witnessed the impact of poverty, abuse, and neglect on those around her. At an early age, she decided that she wanted to help stop these things from happening — specifically to children.

It took several decades for her to find her way to social work, but now that she has, there’s no turning back.

Cassandra’s learning journey began in 2006 when she earned an undergraduate degree in English. From there, she briefly interned at a college grant office, but realized it wasn’t where her passion lied. Throughout college, she worked as a pharmacy technician and continued in that role post-college until moving onto sales. She began working in property management in 2013, holding onto her dream of making an impact through social work along the way.

Today, she works as a part-time social worker in crisis management, alongside her day job in property management, after earning her online Master of Social Work (MSW) from Regis College.

“If you’re not learning, you’re not living.” This mantra is one by which Cassandra lives — and one she shares in hopes that it inspires others to continue to grow as they move through life.

Cassandra knew that pursuing an MSW would allow her to help struggling children like the ones she had noticed growing up in her hometown.

“At the end of the day, it’s humans bonding with humans — and that connection piece comes really naturally to me,” shares Cassandra.

She decided to pursue her MSW online with Regis College. “I needed something that could adapt to work-life balance,” Cassandra says. “So when it was an asynchronous program, I said, ‘This is great.’ That was huge for me.”

She felt the college staff was incredible with accommodating students who were also managing full-time work alongside courses and clinical hours, where students get hands-on experience in the field. MSW students are given personalized attention that focuses on their interests and needs to make sure they feel supported throughout the program.

Cassandra earned her clinical hours through an internship in crisis management, as crises can happen at any time. “We provide therapeutic brief interventions for those who are able to circumvent the emergency room,” says Cassandra. “We use cognitive-behavioral practices to help individuals while finding appropriate resources for them in the area.”

Cassandra also completed a non-clinical internship at the United Way of Greater Nashua and believes that their presence in the community with moms, children and families are “the bones of what great nonprofits do — work for and with the people.”

Real-world experience is a critical component of the education process for prospective social workers, and Cassandra received help from Regis faculty in finding the right setting for her. The online MSW program connected Cassandra’s passion for mental health with her own need for a flexible way to complete her clinical hours. “It was the best decision I ever made, honestly,” says Cassandra.

The process of earning a master’s degree online taught Cassandra that “resilience is real.”

During the MSW program, Cassandra navigated working a full-time job and providing her mother a safe space to heal while battling an illness. Playing all these roles at once — Senior Portfolio Manager, student, and daughter/caretaker — was a challenge. But she felt the program had such an exciting, engaging energy that allowed her to stay motivated throughout.

“That was my goal, to keep all the plates spinning at once,” says Cassandra.

Even though it had been 15 years since Cassandra was in a classroom, she was able to overcome any apprehension because of the overwhelming sense of community with her peers and the Master of Social Work faculty.

“The faculty throughout the process was like, ‘We’re your faculty now, but we’re building relationships with future colleagues.’”

And her classmates, despite living across the country and varying in age, collaborated through group chats. “To stay connected with everybody on different time zones, and to be on the same kind of wavelength and energy, was very invigorating,” shares Cassandra.

Cassandra successfully navigated challenges to earn her MSW. In this time, she received the Dan Ducheneau Spirit Award, and the School of Health Sciences Award for overall excellence, both peer nominated. To cap off this amazing two-and-a-half-year experience, Cassandra was able to attend her graduation in-person and represent the class of 2024 as their graduate speaker.

Since finishing her degree, Cassandra has started working part-time with the same crisis management organization she did her clinical hours with, Vinfen. This has given her the ability to continue projects started during her internship as an employee, without the additional pressure of school requirements.

In a full-circle fashion, Cassandra combines the last two decades of her career experience with her newfound knowledge.

“I merge the creative aspects of property management with the crisis space to redesign the look to achieve therapeutic benefits,” says Cassandra.

While Cassandra has considered a multitude of career paths, she found she was most passionate about social work. Passion, she says, is a critical part of the equation — alongside a strong network of support.

“Get yourself a support system and resources,” says Cassandra. “I could not have had the bandwidth to do what I needed to do in this program without the help of family and friends. Then, find something you’re passionate about. Passion is everything.”

Through her work, Cassandra exemplifies what it means to follow your calling and make a difference — a shining example of what a Regis College graduate can achieve.

“I’m in a happy place when I’m doing social work,” says Cassandra. “You can achieve anything and everything you want to. We have such a short lifespan. There’s so much we can pack into that time, and it truly is possible.”

If you want to learn more about Regis College and our offerings, check out our online master’s degrees, doctorate degrees, and certificate programs.