Tessa Baber

My mom worked part-time at the Panhandle Area Sheltered Workshop, helping adults with developmental disabilities. I'd visit her sometimes, bringing her lunch, watching as she cared for the residents in the group home. Something about it just felt right.

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As soon as I turned 18, I applied. For six years, I worked as a Habilitation Training Specialist, teaching social skills, housekeeping, personal hygiene, and financial literacy. We'd take them grocery shopping, help them budget, do laundry. I volunteered with the Special Olympics all six years too. 

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After graduating from Oklahoma Panhandle State University, I spent four years as a social service coordinator at a nursing home. That's where I really learned about the human side of care. When you're putting a loved one in a nursing home, that's incredibly hard. I got to see the ugly, but I also got to see the really good. To this day, I'm still connected with some of the families. Those relationships stick with you.

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Ten years ago, I joined the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. Now I'm a school-based specialist, working across elementary and middle schools in my hometown district – the same one where I grew up, where my kids go now. I'm giving back to the district that helped raise me. That's something I really cherish.

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People sometimes ask how I do this work. Honestly, I couldn't imagine doing anything else. It just comes natural to me to want to help. That's all I know. I've never really thought about another career.

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A lot of people think that the Oklahoma Department of Human Services is just Child Welfare Services. But that's not all we are. I love being able to educate my community about our resources.

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We're bridging gaps. Instead of making families come to an office when they need help, which can feel embarrassing. We can meet them at school or in their homes. We're offering something more personal.

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I had this case with a little boy who desperately needed dental work. Being in a rural area, we couldn't find help locally, he needed pediatric anesthesia, specialized equipment. After some research, I found a dental office two hours away that would accept his insurance. We arranged transportation, got him there and back. Now he's thriving because he's not in pain anymore. He's got this beautiful smile.

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There was another family I helped apply for Social Security disability. They didn't think they'd qualify, thought it would be too hard. I sat with them at their kitchen table, helped them apply, do their interview, and submit all the documents. In this economy, that money made all the difference for their child.

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The way I see it, these children in public schools are our future. If they learn young that it's okay to ask for help, we all need help sometimes, that's powerful. We just need to be there, ready to support them, ready to show them what being a good human looks like.

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There are hard days, sure. But the good days far outweigh the tough ones. Twenty years ago, when I became a first generation 4 year college graduate, I dreamed of being a social worker in schools, but those positions didn't exist, the need wasn't recognized. Now here I am, serving the community that raised me. I'm on cloud nine.