Caroline Keenan graduated from the UI REACH program in May, but that just scratches the surface of all she’s done this past year.
This past spring, the 22-year-old Chicagoan became one of the first two University of Iowa students to receive her paraeducator certificate by completing coursework and observations required by the Iowa Department of Education.
This achievement followed a busy final semester of sorority duties, summer study abroad preparations, and completing her coursework. She capped the school year off with her graduation from UI REACH, a transition program for college-age students with intellectual, cognitive, and learning disabilities.
Keenan was one of 22 students who graduated with a UI REACH certificate this spring, and one of the 277 students who have completed the program since its inception in 2008.
Keenan’s journey at the University of Iowa started four years ago, when her aunt recommended the College of Education’s UI REACH program during her college search.
After researching the program, she visited campus with her mom and quickly decided it was where she needed to be.
“I joined Iowa for my learning,” she says. She explored other schools but says, “The REACH program gave me the most independence and the most support.”
That support took on many forms over the three years she spent in the program. From academic support for her coursework to coordinating housing logistics, Keenan says she had help when she needed it, even when she was treading new ground.
Though it’s untraditional for a student in the REACH program, Keenan pushed to join a sorority her freshman year.
“I told them, ‘I want to join a sorority. Can you help me make this happen?” she recalls. “And they let me, they made it happen, and I did continuous open bidding.” That winter, Keenan joined Delta Zeta.
Keenan is among the first REACH students to join a sorority and live off-campus with that organization. With the community service and social events that being in a sorority requires, her membership was instrumental in getting her out of her comfort zone.
This was just the first of Keenan’s untraditional paths at Iowa. In her junior year, she began taking courses and completing classroom observations to earn the paraeducator certificate issued by the Iowa Department of Education, making her one of the first two UI REACH students to do so.
A combination of coursework and practicum hours, the paraeducator certification program took Keenan three semesters to complete. The work was worth it and paid off. Her ultimate career goal of working in the special education field was realized this fall when she was hired as a special education paraeducator at Lemme Elementary School in the Iowa City Community School District. Keenan is now putting into practice the knowledge and skills she gained in her paraeducator certification training the last few years.
As someone who spent a lot of time in special education programs growing up, Keenan says it is rewarding to be working in the classroom and helping other students succeed.
“I’ve been in the special needs program for most of my life, so I know what it’s like,” she says.
Keenan adds that the kids in the program have different needs that she might have an easier time understanding.
“And they’re fun to work with,” she says.
Because of her interest in education, Keenan also visited Senegal for two weeks this past summer through a College of Education study abroad program. She was one of two students to receive the Drs. Michael L. and Darlene M. McNulty Scholarship. The course, titled “Colonialism, Postcolonialism and Education in Senegal” explored schooling in the country and its history.
The trip was eye-opening for Keenan. She learned more about the technological and financial barriers that Senegalese teachers and schools face, but also about the power of education despite obstacles.
“It was hard to see…but it also showed us the kids wanted to be there. They wanted to learn and to dedicate their time to education,” she says. “That was really cool.”
There was another unexpected barrier she encountered in the Senegalese schools they visited–they didn’t have the resources to support students with special needs.
“I kind of noticed that students that have learning disabilities over in Senegal…they don’t really get the support that students in America do,” she says. “That was definitely hard seeing…they kind of just do the best they can and try not to fail out.”
The experience deepened her passion for inclusive education, and it’s part of what’s motivating her next steps.
Keenan may have graduated, but she hasn’t slowed down, and she's not done being a Hawkeye. She returned to Iowa City for a final year as a part-time, non-degree seeking student this fall, taking additional classes while working full-time as a paraeducator.