Gia Raffa
Human Services
Gia Raffa knew she wanted to help people, but wasn’t sure which path was the right fit. After learning about the SEED scholarship at 探花约啪 Tech, she inquired about the human services program. It was then that she realized 探花约啪 Tech would give her opportunities to explore how she could help others through a career.
While at 探花约啪 Tech, Raffa completed two internships — one at Appoquinimink School District and one at 探花约啪 Head Start Association. At Appoquinimink, she worked alongside the school counselor, participating in group work, first watching, then co-leading, and eventually leading groups independently and working one on one with students. During her internship at Head Start, Raffa provided administrative support such as finding resources and distributing them to families.
She said her most valuable experience at 探花约啪 Tech was the combination of her internships and coursework, specifically her interviewing and counseling class.
“[The instructor] would tell us to do x, y, and z skill, show us how to do it, have us demonstrate with him and another student, and then we would actually practice the skill with another classmate,” Raffa said. “It was like see one, teach one, do one.”
Taking classes in tandem with her internships gave Raffa the chance to apply what she was learning in a real-world setting.
One of her favorite memories at 探花约啪 Tech was a conversation with human services instructor Kevin Hoffecker. Raffa asked him, “Am I a real adult?” He replied, “You need to stop putting yourself in a box. You’re an adult, you know what you’re doing.” That answer stayed with Raffa as she continues to remind herself not to put herself in a box.
The relationships she built with classmates, staff, and faculty are what keep Raffa coming back to 探花约啪 Tech.
“It’s kind of crazy how much you actually like the connection here because once I left, I was like ‘Dang, I miss it,’” she said.
Since graduating, Raffa has returned for the College’s Chocolate 5k, volunteered at New Student Orientation, and visited with teachers and administrators.
She is pursuing her bachelor’s degree at Goldey-Beacom College and plans to pursue her master’s degree at Wilmington University. Her internships at 探花约啪 Tech confirmed her interest in supporting children and families, and one day she hopes to become a school counselor.
Raffa’s advice to prospective students is that if you have a question, ask it because someone will always help you find the answer.
“When you come to New Student Orientation, they say students are the center of everything they do, and it’s like, ‘Do they really mean that?’” she said. “They mean it. It’s applied.”
