Charlene Malcolm: From wedding dress designer to social worker

Charlene Malcolm went to college and started her career as a wedding dress designer in Canada, but one part time job working in a group home for adults made her reconsider her life’s calling and now she is studying social work at Gallaudet University, the world’s leading university for deaf and hard of hearing students, and interning at Metro TeenAIDS where she provides HIV, STI and pregnancy counseling and testing for young people.

I feel the need to be around people…eventually, I would like to be a counselor or therapist for adults. What I like most about this kind of work is that I am continually learning about myself through clients.

Charlene herself has been impacted by HIV/AIDS, her father died of complications from AIDS so working in this setting has personal significance for her. At Metro TeenAIDS, Charlene is so pleased at how much she is learning and how supportive the environment is for her. She’s spent time with many staff members, including Adam Tenner, the executive director.

The staff at MTA are really like family, funny, supportive, passionate. Adam was super-invested in my experience at MTA, he keeps encouraging me to ask him questions and wants to know how we can better support deaf clients and possibly deaf staff members.

Besides learning about HIV/AIDS, the internship at MTA has taught Charlene so much about herself.

I have learned so much, mostly to not judge people. I’ve also learned a great deal about the unique culture of DC. I have done thinking about how these kinds of services (across the city) can be improved to serve the deaf and hard of hearing.

Charlene’s recommendations for improving services across DC are to increase awareness around communicating with deaf people and to create support groups for deaf clients. She notes that she went to an HIV/AIDS awareness fair last Fall and there were no resources for deaf clients.

Charlene graduates in a few weeks, please join MTA in thanking and wishing her well in her career!