32yrs

female

Speaks English, Sign Language (ASL)

My passion for working with individuals with special needs began with my 3-year-old cousin. While growing up, we communicated through sign language, but even as a toddler, he would become frustrated that he could not hear. Soon after my cousin was diagnosed with a profound hearing loss, he was implanted with a cochlear device that enabled him to hear. After the surgery, he began attending speech therapy and I became intrigued by the discipline that had allowed my cousin to speak. I knew from that moment that I wanted to be the individual who helped people communicate. I wanted to give them a voice. After earning my Bachelor's in Speech Language Pathology, I was hired as an educator for the Montgomery County Educational Service Center. The Montgomery County ESC is a non-profit organization that provides education to children with special needs ranging from preschool to high school. This job allowed me to work with a variety of age groups, as well as a variety of disabilities and disorders. I have had experience working in a preschool classroom specific to scholars with hearing loss, providing one-on-one instruction to a middle school scholar who has Autism and PICO, and being the educator for elementary, middle and high school students who have emotional disabilities and mental illnesses.