Master of Social Work

Shantayah's Career Journey

Shantayah Hayes graduated in May 2022 and currently works at Gaudenzia DRC as the Director of Clinical Services and Programming, where she oversees clinical programming for individuals with co-occurring needs and coordinates care across a multidisciplinary team. In her role, she supports discharge planning and continuity of care, ensures compliance with documentation and regulatory standards, collaborates with providers to connect clients to services, and coordinates care for over 100 high-risk clients annually, achieving more than 90% reintegration and engagement outcomes. She has also improved documentation compliance to near 100%, reduced service gaps through workflow improvements, and partnered with medical, behavioral health, and community providers. Her MSW education provided a strong foundation in macro-level social work, which is highly relevant to her current leadership role, and she has continued to build expertise in Department of Corrections policies and procedures. A particularly impactful course for her was Social Work in Prisons, which aligns closely with her professional interests and is a subject she would be interested in teaching or speaking about. She manages stress by engaging in activities such as traveling and karaoke, which help her maintain balance. She advises current students to prioritize hands-on experience while in school, emphasizing that many essential skills and insights can only be gained through direct practice in the field. Reflecting on her experience, she wishes she had known more about the clinical and administrative complexities of running a program, including billing, documentation, interventions, and ASAM criteria, noting that much of this knowledge develops through real-world experience. One of her favorite memories from the MSW program was completing a community project in which her group designed a program from start to finish, a process she continues to draw on when planning community-based initiatives today.