Inclusivity Kits: Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in play opportunities - 2024 Child Life Conference

Mashal Kara is a Certified Child Life Specialist at the Texas Children’s Hospital Main Campus Cancer & Hematology Outpatient Clinic. She primarily works with patients/families diagnosed with Leukemia/Lymphoma/Histiocytosis . Mashal completed her masters in Child Life at Texas Woman’s University and her child life internship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. She previously worked as a teacher for Fort Worth ISD through Teach for America and completed her masters in Teaching at Texas Wesleyan University.

I have been a Certified Child Life Specialist for over three years, and currently work at Children's Hospital Colorado on the General Medicine Unit. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Sciences with a concentration in Child Development from the University of Arkansas. Upon graduating, I completed my first practicum at Children's Mercy in Overland Park, Kansas. I then continued my education at Texas State University, where I received my master's degree in Human Development and Family Sciences with a concentration in Child Life. While working on my master's, I completed a second practicum at Wonders and Worries, a nonprofit organization based in Austin, Texas, that provides professional support for children through a parent's illness. There, I observed and lead both individual and group sessions focused on illness education, coping and feelings. With my master’s in hand, I completed my internship at Children's Memorial Hospital in Houston, Texas. I stayed in Houston, where I worked PRN in the Emergency Department Children's Memorial Hospital, before accepting my first full-time position at Texas Children's Hospital on the Pulmonary, Endocrine and Adolescent Medicine Unit and where I became an integral member of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team.