Kari came to Maria as a transfer student. Two of Kari’s friends, Maria nursing program students, encouraged her to look at Maria, as she had been at two colleges previously. She transferred credits into Maria’s general studies program with intent for nursing.
She works at the Center for Disabilities as a certified teacher working with their Children/Educational Services team in their R.A.A.V.E. classrooms-these provide educational services for children with Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, and other Pervasive Developmental Disabilities in communication, social skills, and behavioral development. This experience ignited her passion for helping children reach their full potential.
Kari described one boy, who in the beginning could not concentrate and his aggressive and negative behavior was preventing him from learning. She patiently worked with him for hours and soon he knew his colors and letters and had visible improvements in social skills and learning progression.
During a Maria advisement meeting, she was introduced to Maria’s psychology major based upon her work experience and passion for the field of Autism. In the spring of 2016, she became a psychology major. She describes how all of the classes have been diverse and interesting and she loves the wide range.
She will complete her internship (240 hours) at the Crossroads Center for Children. They utilize interventions from the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA), a branch of psychology and education with a foundation based on scientific analysis of human behavior and learning.
Kari is looking forward to her future after graduation in a graduate program. The Sage Colleges Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis & Autism accepted her application and she will start this fall. She is thrilled on the acceptance and credits the Maria psychology program for helping her to advance her educational dreams.
She stated, “I think the biggest reason I’ve picked the Sage ABA program is because it is concentrated and specialized on a field that I already love, understand, and can’t wait to learn more about. Autism disorders effect every single person with one different then the next and that is one of the most amazing things about the spectrum. Through the program at Sage, I will be able to learn more about the field and continue to apply the knowledge I am learning in my classes to the work that I do. I know I’m making the right choice picking Sage.”
Kari described her time at Maria and what she has loved most are the time with professors and exchanges in classroom with fellow students. She stated, “Maria’s small class size really lends itself to genuine interaction and feedback. I don’t think I could be this passionate about my future without the personalized attention I had at Maria.”