It was during a class at Cal State Fullerton when Victor Lugo ’18 (B.A. sociology) realized he wanted to pursue a career in social services.
His studies helped him understand how societal structures and systems work and how they can affect people like the youth he works with.
Lugo is among more than a dozen Titans on staff at Project Hope Alliance, a Costa Mesa-based nonprofit that works with kids and young adults experiencing housing insecurity.
“I think it was a good fit for me because I always wanted to give back to my community,” said Lugo, who has worked at the nonprofit for nearly five years. He’s now a district manager overseeing a team of case managers at school sites.
An estimated 30,000 Orange County youth are considered homeless or living in an unstable situation.
The nonprofit employs a network of case managers who work with kids and young adults at Orange County schools and in the community. They strive to give youth the resources to graduate high school, get into college or find a job, which makes it less likely they’ll be unhoused as adults.
Assistance could include providing food, clothing or financial aid; helping with college and job applications; or serving as a trusted adult and sounding board.
CSUF alum Celso Fuentes ’17 (B.A. human services) has been with Project Hope Alliance for nearly four years and is now a partnership manager who works with school districts and community organizations to ensure at-risk youth receive the services they need.
“What appealed to me was the bigger purpose, the mission of ending the cycle of homelessness, one child at a time,” said Fuentes.
Unsure of his career goals after high school, Fuentes enrolled in community college and got a job advising young people about employment and job training.
He transferred to CSUF and was sitting in a class learning how to design and fund human services programs when a lightbulb switched on. “I could do this as a job,” he realized.
As a human services major, he learned that while public service isn’t always easy, the field is full of great people and can lead to a rewarding career, he said.
Majoring in social service fields teaches skills such as interviewing, managing projects and communicating effectively that are broadly applicable and prepare graduates to work in a variety of positions, including as advocates, community coordinators and policy analysts, said CSUF Professor of Sociology Devon Thacker Thomas.
Social service careers focus on helping people and communities access resources, overcome challenges and improve their well-being, she said. “Work in social service offers employees the opportunity to support real and tangible change at various levels.”
Fuentes describes his current job as being “the biggest cheerleader” who encourages struggling youth to believe in their own futures.
After helping a high school athlete raise money to attend football camp in Hawaii, Fuentes got a thank-you card from the young man. “The student was able to have this experience with his peers, and I know that will stay with him forever.”
Lugo’s reward is seeing kids thrive, like when a child gets their own room in permanent housing or the pride of relatives when their loved one graduates from high school.
“Those comments and messages we get — it makes you realize this is definitely worth it,” Lugo said.