43yrs

female

Speaks English

I started working with individuals with disabilities in 1999 when I volunteered in a community outreach service called Camp Spearhead. This program was a way for individuals with disabilities to be able to attend sporting events, participate in outings like camping and do things that they would not normally be able to do because of mobility or financial issues. Seeing the joy on their faces and feeling like I made a difference really influenced me to continue in this direction. I helped with the Special Olympics also. I was a special education major from 1999 to 2002 and received training in teaching those with developmental disabilities. I moved to Wisconsin in 2002, and changed my major to nursing in 2004. I was employed as a living skills instructor at Shepherd Baptist Ministries, a group home for the mentally disabled, from 2001-2004. I then became employed at Bethesda Lutheran Homes and Services as a direct support professional from 2004-2009. In attending college and graduating as a nursing major I received a lot of experience through clinicals in working with those with disabilities as well as the elderly and their families in navigating through the hospital system.