Libby Sheffler completed her undergraduate work at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston and is working on her master’s degree in social work as an online student at Boise State from North Idaho.
The Title IV-E program and Boise State’s online master’s in social work have made her graduate studies and a career possible from the community she was born and raised in, the area outside Moscow.
“I will never leave,” she said.
She became familiar with the Title IV-E program while she was an undergrad at Lewis-Clark State College; that said, her professional path wasn’t necessarily clear.
“I really didn’t think that I was going to be a child social worker when I got into this,” she said. The stipend, she said, “is what led to me pursuing my career in it. I really had no idea what I would be doing until I started my internship.”
Sheffler credits her colleagues and supervisors at the state for crafting a work/study balance that makes both possible and for working with her on an internship that takes advantage of her interests and background. She now works with about eight families in case management and another 15 families on permanency work as they become fosters.
“I love the family part of things for sure, helping kids and parents get the services they need to be successful,” she said. “The department has been really, really awesome in working with me around my school schedule and case management work.”
Reynolds’ advocacy and knowing that there are others doing what she is doing are valuable, she said, even if she doesn’t see them in person but only online.
“Just knowing that there is support out there and I’m going for it with this group of people,” she said. “Just seeing their names on there is cool.”