Family and human services major Asya Louis is focused on improving the lives of others

Whether she is working with adults with autism to help them develop job-based skills or creating programs for senior citizens, Asya Louis is in her comfort zone.

Faculty member Courtney Martin and student Asya Louis
 Courtney Martin, left, meets with her student Asya Louis.

Courtney Martin, a lecturer in the Department of Family Studies and Community Development, tapped into Louis’ enthusiasm and enlisted her help in a needs assessment of residents at Pickersgill Retirement Community in Towson, Maryland.

“I fell in love with the mission of Pickersgill as a benevolent care society, and it motivated me to create mutually meaningful relationships for residents,” says Louis, who led a range of weekly activities for residents.

As a family and human services major, Louis belongs to a TU department that has mandatory student internships. She gained experience working as an intern with a local public policy research firm where she “learned to apply the human services perspective to policy research.” Her research has focused on collecting data on regulations related to smoking in foster homes.

One of her biggest fans and role models has been TU’s Director of Academic Communications and Engagement Bethany Pace, who she met in freshman year. “As a minority woman in a competitive field, Ms. Pace helped me learn to advocate for myself,” says Louis. “She is one of the hardest working and most motivating people I have ever met.”

Louis also volunteered in the Presidential Ambassadors Program, a student-based philanthropy program that encourages students, alumni and friends of the university to support TU.

“I interact a good deal with the president and leaders on campus, which gives me confidence as I enter the professional world,” explains Louis. “I now know how to carry myself in a professional setting.”

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