Amari Polite found her niche in social work, but she also is an entrepreneur with a passion for baking with a business named KupKakes by Khe. 
 
This month Polite will graduate with her master’s degree in social work from the University of South Carolina, and in July, she will begin a 15-month program with Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts.

Her vision is to combine her interests by opening a community center in her hometown of Beaufort, South Carolina, to assist residents with access to resources, government benefits, veterans’ services, housing and other needs.  
 
“I would like to use my culinary experience to help address food insecurity through cooking classes to encourage healthy meals with fresh ingredients,” Polite says. “I also would like to explore the possibility of partnering with an agency in Beaufort that provides food boxes to show families options for preparing the items they receive,” Polite says. 
 
From an early age, Polite saw herself in a helping profession, imagining she would become a teacher. Inspired by her favorite television show, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, she became interested in a law career, aspiring to become a guardian ad litem. During her undergraduate studies at USC Beaufort, her focus shifted, and she majored in English with a concentration in creative writing and a minor in African American Studies. 
 
After her application was unsuccessful for USC’s dual-degree program for a juris doctor and an MSW, she decided to focus on social work after researching the diverse career opportunities.  

 

Her interest remained in the culinary arts and her baking business, which she started during the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspired by spending time in the kitchen with her grandmother, the notion for the business came when a coworker at Sonic asked if she would bake a red velvet cake for him. 
 
“The excitement and the joy that in his eyes as soon as he got the cake just sparked something,” Polite says. 
 
Other coworkers began making requests, and KupKakes by Khe was born. When students returned to the USCB campus after the pandemic, Polite promoted her business at events, including an entrepreneurship fair and a Greek organization event. During her first year on the Columbia campus, Polite put the business on hold but slowly began to promote her cooking talents, eventually offering orders for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentine’s Day. She also participated in a Black Wall Street event. 
 
“One day I was really just sitting in class this spring, and I thought I still want to go to culinary arts schools,” Polite says. “I discussed it with my mom, and I applied and got accepted. Culinary arts can definitely go hand in hand.” 
 
She credits the College of Social Work with giving her the support and confidence to combine her aspirations. The interest and updates she received soon after applying and the availability of scholarships and a graduate assistanceship solidified her decision to choose USC. 
 
“Everybody – staff, faculty, students – at the College of Social Work is family-oriented. They pour into you and build you up,” Polite says. “It’s so empowering and really nice to be in this type of environment.” 
 
In addition to classes, she says internships have provided a wider perspective on social work and the various ways the field can impact individuals and community needs. Polite has had internships at Transitions Homeless Center and the CHAMPS Law Clinic, which offers law and social work students the opportunity to work on legal cases that impact children’s health.  
 
At Transition Homeless Center, she assisted clients with housing, rent and utility payments; focused on client rapport and engagement through activities; and did outreach work in the community. At the law clinic, she worked with other students, lawyers and social workers to assist clients under the age of 18 in accessing resources such as Medicaid, housing and Supplemental Security Income. 
 
The experience at Transitions helped Polite realize she prefers micro-level work with direct client interaction. 
 
“I enjoy being face to face with people and being able to see individuals every day,” she says. “Transitions centered around the clients. There were so many things they did to make sure that the clients felt like they were a part of something. I found that fulfilling, and I really enjoyed being a part of that.” 
 
Polite is currently seeking a social work position while she completes the online program at Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. 

“The MSW program expanded my options to the variety of careers available in our field, and I will rely on the connections I’ve built with staff and faculty as I work toward my vision of opening a community center,” she says.