When Margaux Helvey began her search for a master’s program, she was looking for an opportunity to combine her strengths in business strategy and management with social impact. She found it at the University of Southern California, one of the few institutions at the time that offered a dual degree in social work and business administration.

“I specifically wanted to be in Los Angeles because I knew I wanted to address issues of homelessness and poverty,” Helvey said. “I wanted to be where real things were happening and not an ivory tower scenario where I just read about homelessness.”

Embarking on a dual master’s degree is no small feat. It was a three year program, culminating in Helvey receiving her master’s in business administration and a master’s in social work when she graduated in 2008. Receiving the Helen P. and Jack I. Levin Scholarship helped tremendously along the way.

“I was doing a full-time program and two degrees so that didn’t leave much time for work, and a field placement in social work is very time consuming,” Helvey said. “I was only the second student to ever come through this dual degree track. Since having a business student was fairly new for the USC School of Social Work, there was no stipend for this in terms of field placements. The scholarship gave me the flexibility to design my own internship for business and social work during my second year without having to worry about finding a subsidy.”

The Helen P. and Jack I. Levin Scholarship has been provided for social work students by the Jay and Rose Phillips Foundation since 1993. “It is a great feeling to know that we are supporting a school that is a leader in the field of social work,” commented Shana and Matt Zacufsky of the Jay and Rose Phillips Foundation. “It is also gratifying to know that we are making it a little easier for people who want to do good in society. The fact that we are giving a hand up to an individual that is going to give a hand up to many more individuals and pay it forward with their work is very rewarding.”

Helvey is doing exactly that. Just two years after completing her dual master’s degrees, she became the director of community and corporate partnerships for the Downtown Women’s Center in the heart of the Skid Row community. Currently, she is helping to provide housing for homeless and low-income families across Los Angeles as vice president of development and community engagement for LA Family Housing.

“I probably use my social work degree even more than my business degree in a management setting because it is all about understanding people and having empathy,” Helvey said. “Even in fundraising, understanding the people and the programs is so important.”

Every day, Margaux sees how critical it is to have individuals with an MSW in the development department of a nonprofit. “Whether it is private foundations, donors, volunteers, public education – the end goal is about getting more support for your cause, and often times that support is getting funding directed to the right place,” Helvey said. “I do a lot of advocacy in my role, and I love that I get to be the person championing our clients and our cause.”

The Jay and Rose Phillips Foundation supports three distinct scholarship funds within the USC School of Social Work. Multiple scholarships are awarded from each fund annually for students with financial need who are pursuing their MSW degree.