Meet Kailey: Special education

I got interested in special education because in high school I did a peer buddy program where I got paired up with a partner and I became so close and developed a relationship with him that I could have never imagined. And my mom is also a teacher, so that really inspired me to want to become a teacher, too.

It's been really good. It's a lot of learning from other people who are teachers and who have taught people and who've been in the same situation.

I was probably about five years old when me and my best friend started playing golf together and we both actually play college golf now. So I've always loved it and it's always been my dream to play college golf.

I chose Western to play golf because I met the amazing coach. We have amazing teammates and such a close knit team. It's really made this experience so special for me.

It's a very big time commitment, but it's definitely a great experience. We do a lot as a team, we travel a lot, so we have a lot of time together. But it's definitely a great experience growing in golf and just growing as a person with your team.

They're definitely really supportive. They offer me a lot of help when I miss classes. I can get on a zoom call, meet them in person or use their office hours. They offer a lot of options, so I'm always caught up.

I feel supported by the university because they offer a lot of programs for student athletes. They offer tutors, study hours and other things.

When connecting all the lessons I've learned from golf into teaching, I definitely have learned a lot of teamwork, how to work with other people, how to motivate people on their down, and how to encourage people to be the best versions of themselves. In golf, as a team, you work together, you push each other to be your best person, and that's something I want to do in my classroom one day.