Influential Woman · Social Worker
Ducle Leon
Residence Services Coordinator for low-income families, Unity Council
Oakland, CA
Her Story
About Ducle
I have been working in my field for about 3 years now, spending 2 years as a Residence Services Coordinator for low-income families and also working as a family advocate. Before I started working in this field, I was a preschool and kindergarten teacher for 17 years. I was drawn to this career because I wanted to continue working with families and children, but at another level, as part of the community, supporting families in different ways. My main area of expertise today is working with local families, offering community resources in our area, and providing classes and workshops to help them thrive in all areas of their lives. On a typical day, I accommodate my caseload by looking for programs and workshops to offer families at least twice a month. I also help families with rental assistance, because many are being challenged financially in the Bay Area. Once a week, I bring food from the food bank for families. My most notable professional achievement is hearing families' success stories - by providing workshops and training, families have been learning tools and skills to face the challenges in their life. I attended college when I was a preschool kindergarten teacher and got an early childhood education certificate (transcript says 'affiliated feature certificate' - likely STT error). I have also taken some social worker courses in college, and I'm planning to continue my education. I currently work with the Unity Council in the Bay Area, which is a nonprofit organization.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Ducle
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is to work with passion. That's the main thing - when you work with passion and reach out, you're not going to feel like it is actually your job. When you put it that way, the work doesn't feel like just a job.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
If you have a passion and a vision for what you want, and you want to work very closely with families, you need to understand the different backgrounds and be proactive. Be there for them, but also take care of yourself, because working with families every day can be emotionally challenging. You want to help everyone, and sometimes that's not going to be possible, but at least you can give them the resources and guidance. For young women entering this field, have a passion - that's the most important thing.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
For me, the biggest challenges have been the language at some point. However, I always keep looking forward to being better with the language. I also have a hearing impairment and wear hearing aids, and sometimes it's a little challenging to talk in bigger groups. I might need extra assistance in terms of closed captions or having smaller group meetings in order to have better understanding.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are family, the community, and mental health. Mental health is something we have to give priority to. I also value children and seniors, who are the most vulnerable groups, as well as immigrants. I don't have a large family myself, but working with large families in my work gives me a better picture of what large families look like and all the challenges they face.
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