Texas Tech University

Elise Rascoe Alumni Profile

Elise Rascoe HDFS Alumna Texas Tech2014 Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) alumna Elise Rascoe currently serves many families in the Lubbock community through her role as House Manager for Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Southwest (RMHCSW). The Southwest chapter of RMHCSW is a nonprofit organization that seeks to create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children and their families.

The organization provides families with lodging, meals, transportation, laundry facilities and more to ensure that they are provided with a safe home free of financial burdens as long as their child is receiving medical care.

"It also allows a parent's only focus to remain on their hospitalized child. Our families can stay for as long as it takes for their child to heal and no family is ever turned away for inability to pay," Elise said.

Currently, the Southwest area reaches 69 counties, serving over 10,000 people each year.

"My role allows me to work and build relationships with our families as well as help to provide them with everything they might need during their stay at RMHCSW," Elise explains. "My main focus is making sure our families have a clean, safe, and comforting home-away-from-home while their child is sick and receiving care in our local hospitals."

Elise greatly enjoys interacting with the families that come through the Ronald McDonald House, being such a people person. The desire to connect with others in her career is something that Elise found she could fulfill with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies.

"I love people. My goal in life is to serve others and I felt that having a HDFS major opened so many opportunities for me to do just that—love on people and serve them the best that I could. I truly feel that HDFS was and is the best path for me to have taken."

When asked if she would recommend her choice in her HDFS degree to other students at Texas Tech University, Elise was quick to say yes.

"I love that there are so many different parts to this major, from Life Span Development and Families in Crisis to being an Elementary School Teacher. I feel that HDFS really applies to many different job areas in the work force and opens the door to so many different opportunities."

In her role with RHMCSW, Elise felt prepared to properly interact with families during critical situations thanks to her HDFS coursework, having gained the knowledge and understanding of how individuals respond to and cope with tough situations in different ways.

"Everyone handles situations completely different and knowing that has helped me serve these families and offer them support in specific areas."