Ingryd Masters

Coordinator of Student Support for Dual Enrollment and Career Pathways

Bachelor of Arts in English, College of Charleston

Ingryd Masters’ parents immigrated to the United States from Colombia, met and married several years later, and began their life and family in New York City. 

Despite the fact that neither had gone to college, education was still a priority and growing up, Masters observed and admired the strong work ethic of her parents. “Public education in Colombia wasn’t free and education was for those who could afford it. This is why my parents and most immigrants value education in this county because it is free for K-12,” she said. The family moved to South Carolina and her father continued working in manufacturing and her mother, who had a junior high education at the time, worked as a hairdresser.

“My parents wanted me to better ourselves through education so we didn’t have to work two to three jobs to make ends meet,” said Masters.

She was one of few Hispanic graduates in Easley High School’s class of 1990.  “I didn’t have a tribe and at school you can feel so isolated,” said Masters.

“During my senior year, I didn’t have a group of family members who could help with applying to college.” Luckily, she met a couple, Robert and Margie Grant, owners of Grants Business and Tax Service,  located just a few steps from the high school. In addition to hiring her as an assistant, they talked to her about going to college. 

“I had no idea where to start.  I didn’t know how to ask the right questions. With their help, I applied to several colleges.  I really appreciated them,” she said, and she admired their work ethic which matched her parents.

She was accepted to the University of South Carolina and the College of Charleston and several other state colleges.  She chose Charleston and her senior year received a $500 book scholarship from an organization where Mrs. Grant was a member of the Business and Professional Womens Club.  “I was so grateful to the Grants and continued to visit them every summer,” said Masters.

The college application process was cumbersome back then for Masters and the experience formed the passion for what she does today. “Today I talk with students about the career pathways available in high school.  Through dual enrollment they can earn a certificate before they graduate from high school. This can put them on a life-changing path for their family.  It is a generational change.  I often use my husband as an example. He is a first-generation college student, too, and attended TCTC on a scholarship, graduated with an associate degree in Industrial Electronics Technology, and has been with GE, testing gas turbines, for the past 34 years,” she said.

When she talks to Hispanic students at Easley High today, unlike when she was a student, she is addressing a group of 40 – 50 students.  “I say, ‘Hello, I’m a Green Wave.’  I graduated from Easley High School so I can identify with you.  I was in your shoes - except there were three to four Hispanic students.  We didn’t have a large community to lean on and we didn’t have organizations that helped us to navigate through the process. You have a community and your guidance counselors are your allies.  We are here to help you. Afterward, they approach me and are comfortable talking with me because they relate to me.”

While a student at the College of Charleston, Masters initially majored in Physical Therapy and later changed to English because she enjoyed reading and writing. She interned at local newspaper and added a Communications minor.

Masters had a work study job for the U.S. Attorney’s office in Charleston. “I loved it there and even thought about being a lawyer. The attorneys said my English major would work well with law school and even had several willing to write letters of recommendation for me. Not understanding my loans could be paused so I could try law school, I thought I couldn’t pay for it, so I didn’t pursue this avenue. It’s one of my biggest regrets. Not understanding how to navigate graduate school and loans kept me from pursuing a different career. This is why I love what I do. I can help inform all students, especially first-generation students.”

Determined to pay off her student loans, she entered the workforce after graduation as a customer service representative. “Being bilingual opened doors for me at the company,” she said. She moved to another job as an administrative assistant/customer service rep. “I discovered I was good at organization. I could run the office well,” she said.  Later she joined Bierrebi Internationaland for nine years served as the company’s administrative manager and later as import/export manager.

She took a 10-year break to raise her children and returned to the workforce in Anderson County School District 1 as a teacher’s assistant for K 3 and 4 and later at Wren Middle School as attendance clerk. She took another two-year break to care for her in-laws and joined TCTC in 2020.

“In this role, I speak as a coordinator and a mama,” she said. “I talk with students about their career interests and show them pathways. I listen and help them to find their passion. I also make connections and let them know I will be there for them. This is my calling.  I am here to help them.”

She also tells people it’s never too late to pursue education.  While Masters was in high school, her mother attended classes at the Pickens County Adult Education Center and earned a high school diploma, not a GED. “I was so proud of her.”

Later her father took machine tool and die classes at Greenville Technical College to enhance his skills as a machinist.

“It was a big deal because education was so important to my parents,” she said.