e h t On s e n i l t n Fro : 9 1 D I V O of C Frontlines of COVID–19
usa Margaret DiT Y SPS N U C t, en Stud
Margaret DiTusa
As a Certified Employment Support Professional, Margaret DiTusa expected to spend her final semester at CUNY SPS doing the same type of work she had performed for the past nine years: helping people with disabilities and mental illness find meaningful employment. Instead, when her agency shut down due to COVID-19, DiTusa began working 60-hour weeks at a residence for the disabled, “providing physical assistance, transferring participants to their wheelchairs, showering, feeding, and toileting them”—a far cry from her usual workday. During this time, she often felt like a “fish in a shallow pond;” fortunately, one part of her life remained consistent and relevant: her online master’s degree program at CUNY SPS. DiTusa’s coursework in disabilities studies was especially helpful as she began supporting “people who have significant needs and complex diagnoses.” At the same time, CUNY SPS made it easy to stay in school. “Continuing my classes online was a cinch,” she explained, a fact that didn’t entirely surprise her. Two years prior, when she began the “complicated and daunting” task of re-enrolling in college after an eight-year break from school, CUNY SPS made the process easy. “From inquiring, to applying, to registering, to graduating, it all felt effortless,” she explained—even in the midst of a pandemic.
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CUNY School of Professional Studies Magazine | 2019-2020
