Kris Shultz – College Place, Washington

“I live in the Upper Valley and my passion is working with homeless families and youth. I obtained my current position as a family case manager at the Upper Valley Haven, in part, because I am a MALS student. The shelter’s leadership was looking for someone who already had a master’s degree and although I am still currently a student, they hired me partly because of the exceptional reputation of the program knowing that I had a few classes left to earn the actual degree.

The amazing thing about Dartmouth’s MALS program is that I was able to connect my degree and my career in intimate ways. My MALS thesis focused on LGBT youth who are struggling both with being homeless and with the added awakening they are experiencing as young adults in society. I have the unique opportunity to apply my thesis research to my daily work at the Haven and vice versa.

The kind of recognition the MALS curriculum receives from the world outside the classroom was one of the main reasons I applied to the program. And once I got here it was exactly what I expected. Small classes, exceptional professors, challenging coursework, enriching academic discussions with my fellow students, a commitment to the community, and the unparalleled resources at a school like Dartmouth — all of these things make MALS very unique and very special.”