Romero began her undergraduate studies at East Carolina University in Greenville. She initially pursued psychology before switching to sociology. With extra credits remaining, she decided to combine the two interests and graduate with a double major.

“During my time there, I wasn’t sure what path to take after graduation. I was mostly considering occupational therapy until I did an internship at a non-profit organization that worked with the Latino community,” Romero recalls.

That internship became an important turning point. Working directly with the community helped her recognize that social work could provide an opportunity to support people in ways that felt personally meaningful.

Still, Romero did not immediately rush into graduate school. Although she was accepted to North Carolina State University, she decided to defer her admission for a year. During that time, she worked at an assisted living community with older adults.

Although she describes herself as “a very introverted person,” she genuinely enjoyed having one-on-one conversations and listening to people’s experiences. At the same time, she does not romanticize this work.

“I will say it is draining at the end of the day”

For Romero, learning how to recover from that emotional exhaustion is an essential part of sustaining a career in social work. 

“I think what really helped me to not get super tired the next day, or just feel unmotivated is just giving myself time to rest,” she says. That can mean something as simple as taking a bath, taking a nap or enjoying something she likes. “I just need to recharge my battery, because, you know, it is a lot.”

Although this experience showed her how demanding social work can be, Romero ultimately decided to pursue a master’s degree in social work. One factor that drew her to the field was the wide range of possibilities it offers. Unlike a career that would place her in one specific setting, social work would allow her to work with different populations and explore a variety of environments. After taking that year to work and reflect, Romero began her master’s program in Social Work at NC State. 

She describes the program as “good, but challenging,” particularly because of the way the coursework is structured.

Her classes are concentrated on Mondays and Tuesdays while she also completes an unpaid internship and works part-time to support herself financially. Alongside her coursework, Romero is beginning work on her capstone, which focuses on evaluating a social-service agency. 

As Romero looks toward entering the profession, one of her biggest concerns is burnout. Through conversations with professional social workers and her professors, she has learned that emotional exhaustion is one of the major challenges facing people in the field.

“Burnout is one of the biggest ones,” she says. “I think there’s not a lot of social workers out there because they experience burnout.”

The possibility of burnout has made boundaries an important lesson for her even before completing the degree. For her, setting boundaries means separating professional responsibilities from personal time. Mariana believes social workers need to “focus on their ‘me time.’ ”

This balance becomes particularly important when working with people who may be experiencing serious emotional or physical difficulties. Romero also emphasizes the importance of maintaining appropriate boundaries with clients and being mindful of how emotionally attached one becomes to the people they support. 

As Romero prepares for life after graduate school, she has also learned that building relationships can be just as important as earning a degree.

“One of the biggest things is having a network,” she says.

For new social workers, she believes connecting with professors, classmates, agencies and other professionals can open doors to employment opportunities.

Romero does not measure her ambitions by how large a policy change she can make. Her goal is more personal: to make a meaningful difference in an individual’s life. She acknowledges that she is interested in creating change within the Hispanic community and, most importantly, becoming a resource for people who need support.

“I want to make a change in someone’s life and let them know that I’m here for them, that I am a resource for them.”

Romero’s own journey has shaped the advice she would give to someone considering a master’s degree in social work. She does not believe everyone needs to immediately enter graduate school after completing a bachelor’s degree. Taking time to work, reflect and make sure the field is right for you can be valuable.

“I think the biggest advice I would give to someone who wants to pursue a master’s in social work is definitely giving yourself time to think about it,” she says. “But also don’t hold back and say, ‘Oh, I don’t think I’m good enough to pursue this.” As long as you have that empathy and that compassion to work with others and you want to make that change in someone’s life, then I’d say just go for it.”

Romero’s own path reflects that philosophy. Her career in social work did not begin with a perfectly structured plan. It developed through education, internships, a year of work, reflection and a growing understanding of the communities she wanted to serve. Now, as she moves through her master’s program and practicum, she is still exploring where the field may take her. But her central goal remains clear: to be a resource for others and make a meaningful difference in someone’s life.