Spotlight Virginians: Emily's Path to Becoming a Teacher

In this episode of Spotlight Virginians: Success Stories, Emily shares her inspiring journey of living with hydrocephalus, overcoming educational hurdles, and ultimately finding her calling as a special education teacher. From early childhood special education to navigating health setbacks, Emily’s non-linear path highlights the power of self-advocacy, supportive educators, and defining success on your own terms. Watch Emily's story to learn more about: Living with Hydrocephalus: How an early diagnosis impacted Emily's developmental milestones and processing from a young age. The Impact of Mentors: How educators like Ms. Peck and high school case manager Mrs. Kizer stepped up to build her confidence and push her past her comfort zone. Reclaiming Her Voice: How the I'm Determined program provided the tools Emily needed to advocate for herself and others. Embracing a Unique Timeline: Navigating five years of high school, extended hospital visits, college setbacks, and discovering her passion through substitute teaching. Coming Full Circle: Stepping into her own preschool special education classroom to give students the same encouragement she received. *To make sure you don't miss any success stories, subscribe to our channel to get the latest episodes of our series, along with other videos we release about supporting students with disabilities in transition. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– The VCU Center on Transition Innovations is funded by the Virginia Department of Education (881-APE62524-H027A190107). For more information, please visit Website: https://centerontransition.org/ Follow us on Facebook:   / centerontransition   Twitter:   / vcu_cti