Social Worker Ms. Cindy Kraft fulfills her dream of helping people by striving to provide a safe solution for all her clients’ personal issues and struggles.
“I knew when I was in high school that I wanted to help other people. I knew that I wanted to take a part in changing someone’s life,” Kraft said.
Originally starting her career in Chicago as a drug counselor for the Salvation Army, Kraft eventually moved to St. Louis and started her job in the Parkway School District.
“I started off at Parkway West Middle for five years then moved to Central High as my main location, and I have been here for two years now,” Kraft said.
Kraft works in six different Parkway schools but spends most of her time at Parkway Central because her main office is located in the building.
“It’s great working in a district with people who genuinely want the best for the students,” Kraft said.
Parkway is one of the few schools that has not only counselors in each individual school but also has a social worker.
“I’m busy all day traveling between schools, but I am here at least part of the day, every day,” Kraft said.
Kraft and the school counselors work together as frequently as they need to, to look for answers and solutions.
“Social workers and counselors have different areas of expertise,” school counselor Ms. Judy Tretter said. “When we work together it makes the job a lot easier because [social workers] have their hand in a lot of community resources and are more able to get supplies from a variety of areas.”
Tretter, Kraft and all the other counselors meet every day to discuss upcoming meetings and certain cases they are working on.
“School counselors are in the building full time, and they get to know the students and families much better than I can,” Kraft said. “ I have a much bigger umbrella of things to cover and many more families to deal with, so it is better to work with them rather than around them; like a partnership.”
Due to the code of ethics, counselors and social workers are unable to make decisions for the clients themselves; they cannot force them to go down one path or another.
“It can be very frustrating sometimes because I just want to shake the client and say, ‘No,’ but obviously I can’t do that,” Kraft said.
Kraft mainly deals with personal and family-oriented situations, as well as students’ general home life.
“My main focus is helping to get rid of that roadblock that is preventing a kid from going to school,” Kraft said. “I want to support the students and their families in addition to helping provide them with the resources that they need.”
For Kraft, commuting to six different Parkway schools and getting calls starting at 6 in the morning is a privilege.
“What I love about this job is every day is unpredictably different,” Kraft said. “I get to work with families and students to make a difference and support them during a difficult time. I really love working here.”
“It has always been my dream to help people with their problems and I feel like I am able to do that with the career I have now. It is a good feeling to know that I can help make a difference in a person’s life.”
-Ms. Cindy Kraft