Rala Raheem didn't set out to become a Direct Support Professional. She had just finished medical assistant school, completed her externship, and was looking for a job that would build her experience. A posting came up that she hadn't considered before, supporting people with developmental disabilities in a supported living setting in Silver Spring, Maryland. She figured she'd give it a try.

That was 15 years ago. This month, we are proud to recognize Rala as our DSP of the Month.

A Career Built on Connection

Rala works with Community Multi Services Incorporated, a Silver Spring-based organization that provides residential support services across Maryland and Washington, DC. She's been with them for eight years, and with a sister company for several years before that. But her path into this work wasn't a planned career pivot. It grew from something quieter.

"At first, I wasn't sure it was something I wanted to do long term," she said. "But as I went on and started working with different people, I just got really attached. I'm a people person. I'm good with people. And I found I could use the skills I already had: the communication, the patience, working well with others. It all just melted right in."

She paused, then smiled. "I said to myself, I think I'll stay. And I did."

A Typical Day

For the past several years, Rala has primarily supported one individual, a woman she describes with clear warmth and genuine admiration. The woman she supports is sharp, sociable, and particular about how she likes her days to go. Rala has learned to read all of it.

A typical day starts with a greeting. The individual she supports is usually already up, dressed, and sitting in the living room when Rala arrives. The first question is always the same: what would you like to do today? On most mornings without appointments, the answer is reading. So they start there, together.

From there, the day builds. Rala is passionate about fitness, and she's brought that energy into the daily routine. Her client has a personal trainer who visits once a week, but on the other days, Rala takes her down to the gym for the stationary bike, light workouts, and some time staying active. Then a walk. Then long stretches of conversation, because she loves to talk and Rala genuinely loves to listen.

Later in the afternoon, they cook dinner together. Her client's vision is limited, but Rala works hand over hand with her, teaching her how to handle a knife safely, how to prep ingredients, how to be part of making her own meals.

"She likes knowing she did it herself. We do it together, but she's the one doing it."

Growing Something Together

One of the most tangible expressions of Rala's approach to her work is the small garden she and the individual she supports started together inside their apartment. It wasn't a small undertaking. It required physical labor, problem-solving, and the kind of sustained attention that makes projects like this actually come to life.

Donna Gurley, Rala's manager at Community Multi Services, saw it for what it was.

"That garden took real work," Donna said. "It wasn't something people would necessarily consider fun, but the outcome makes the space feel like a real home. And the most important part is that Rala didn't just do it. She brought her client into it. She was right there with her through every part of it. That takes physical and mental energy, and Rala gives that every single day."

The Person Everyone Comes To

One of the things Donna notices most about Rala is how naturally people gravitate toward her: not just the individuals she supports, but coworkers, family members, and even managers.

"She holds everything together," Donna said. "The person she supports wants her attention. Her coworkers want her advice. If I have something I need to communicate across the whole team, I can share it with Rala, and she'll bring everyone on board. The staff, all of it. She's the one who makes things flow."

Rala acknowledged that managing team dynamics is actually one of the more challenging parts of her job. When coworkers have conflicts, and in any home, they do, they often come to her first before going to a supervisor.

"I always tell them: instead of being upset and holding it in, let's get together and talk about it as a team. We discuss it, everyone says what they need to say, and we find a solution. Then we let it go and move forward. That works every time."

She's not wrong. Donna says the interpersonal harmony on the team is one of the things that makes their home run as well as it does, and Rala is at the center of it.

A Professional and a Trusted Presence

Donna touched on something that doesn't get talked about enough in this field: the particular challenge of building trust with family members. Families who entrust their loved ones to a care organization often carry complicated feelings. Gratitude, worry, and sometimes a guilt that can come across as guardedness or frustration with staff.

Rala navigates that with grace. She is, in Donna's words, "a professional family member," someone who gives the warmth and consistency of family while maintaining the boundaries and judgment that professional care requires.

"She handles a lot," Donna said plainly. "And it never shows up in her work."

What She Wants People to Know

When asked what she wishes more people understood about being a DSP, Rala was thoughtful and direct.

"How hard we work. It's not easy. It takes a lot of patience, and not just patience with the people you support. It takes patience with yourself, with your coworkers, with all of it. If you don't have patience, you can't do this job. And a lot of people don't realize how much this work asks of you, mentally and emotionally. You have to be strong."

And yet, fifteen years in, she wouldn't trade it.

"They have a way of putting a smile on your face," she said of the individuals she supports. "I really like working with this population. I do."

Rala Raheem has been a Direct Support Professional for 15 years and has been with Community Multi Services Incorporated for eight of them. She works in a supported living program in Silver Spring, Maryland. We are proud to call her our DSP of the Month.

DSP of the Month: Rala Raheem, I Think I'll Stay