<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2rxr64_1GnpUbuV00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2rxr64_1GnpUbuV00" width="318" height="500" ><figcaption>Pictured is Anjali DelCastillo and her son - image provided by Anjali DelCastillo</figcaption></figure>Growing up, Anjali DelCastillo, a third year social work major at Eastern Kentucky University, didn’t know what social work was. Coming from Hardin County, KY, DelCastillo said social services weren't something that was talked about when she lived there.Now, DelCastillo is nearing the end of her undergraduate degree, planning to work in addiction treatment or recovery, and is looking forward to pursuing a masters degree in clinical social work, all while caring for her five year old son.“He is part of the reason I ended up wanting to go into social work,” explained DelCastello. “Growing up in a county that doesn’t really talk about social services, I didn’t really know what resources were available to me once I had him. I was trying really hard to navigate… how I can still stay in school and figure out what resources I could use… no one really taught me about those things.”DelCastillo chose to attend EKU over the University of Louisville (which is closer to her home town), because she felt EKU’s environment would be the better fit for her as a student parent.“I loved how resourceful everyone was and that everyone made it very clear to me that whatever I needed, they would be there to help me with. I thought that was really important just because of me having a child and I was completely clueless on how to navigate college with having a kid. I didn’t think it was going to be possible.”As a freshman learning to be a college student for the first time, DelCastillo said she looked to the resources she had chosen EKU for and they got her through what she said was a difficult transition.Suddenly, DelCastillo was two hours away from home without any of the familial support she had once relied on all while still navigating postpartum.Jackie Dean, the chief personnel officer and human resource director for Kentucky River Foothills, a community services organization serving Clark, Madison, Estill and Powell counties, helped DelCastillo apply for Section 8 which allowed her to live in the Eastern Scholar House.The Eastern Scholar House is a residential facility located on EKU’s campus designed to assist parents in affording housing accommodations while pursuing high education and in turn, long-term financial stability. While housed on EKU’s campus, residents are not required to attend EKU and are able to utilize the service so long as they’re enrolled full time at an approved post-secondary educational institution.Throughout her college career, DelCastillo has been closely involved with the Center for Student Parents both in the form of receiving support and in receiving work study placements.So far, DelCastillo has had the opportunity to work with the Veterans Affairs Office and Hopes Wings Domestic Violence Shelter. She also volunteers with Feeding America Kentucky’s Heartland in her home town and is currently working for the Student Success Center.DelCastillo’s lived experiences have given her a desire to go into social work and make a hands-on impact. She recalled going to high school and seeing teenagers already getting into addiction. “That really motivated me to go into this kind of field, even though I didn’t know the name of it back then.”“What’s really motivating me to be able to pursue this degree and what’s been motivating me this entire time I’ve been in college is that everyone is deserving of help. Everyone is deserving of being able to have access to what resources they really need,” DelCastillo said.DelCastillo recalled her Freshman year of college when Robyn Moreland, the director of the Student Parents Center connected her to resources across campus such as the Counseling Center, when Lara Vance, dean of students met with her regularly to ensure she was doing well and when the EKU Police Department maintained would check up on her and her son.“Ask for help when you need it,” DelCastillo said she would tell any student navigating life while attending college. “Don’t hesitate to ever ask for help. That’s something I struggled with my Freshman year because I was raised to be very independent… Do not hesitate to ask for help, that is what people are here for. That is what the Counseling Center is here for.”</div></body>

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Growing up, Anjali DelCastillo, a third year social work major at Eastern Kentucky University, didn’t know what social work was. Coming from Hardin County, KY, DelCastillo said social services weren't something that was talked about when she lived there. Now, DelCastillo is nearing the end of her undergraduate degree,...

Living life while pursuing higher education: Anjali DelCastillo

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Growing up, Anjali DelCastillo, a third year social work major at Eastern Kentucky University, didn’t know what social work was. Coming from Hardin County,

Living life while pursuing higher education: Anjali DelCastillo

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