Class of 2015-2016

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  Sara Acton

  Sara Acton

  I’m returning to school this year, to the Speech-Language Pathology program. In my former life I was a linguist, with a B.A. in linguistics from the University of Calgary (my home town in Canada) and an M.A. from Memorial University of Newfoundland. I’ve been working on language-related projects with First Nations speakers and communities for 10 years, and recently taught a workshop on Algonquian grammar at Eastern (with fellow Brehm Scholar Kira Dallaire in attendance). My husband Eric is a professor of linguistics here at Eastern (we met while we were both graduate students in Linguistics, at a summer institute at UC-Boulder). When we’re not working, we’re outside, or reading books. We like to go for walks in the woods, throw around a football, play ultimate Frisbee, and visit National Parks. We have a goal to visit all of the National Parks, every state in the U.S. and every province and territory in Canada, and every major league baseball stadium to see a game. I grew up in Canada, in a Swedish-Canadian home. (My maiden name is Johansson.) I have dual citizenship with Sweden and Canada, and I’m fluent in Swedish. I study languages, like French and Mandarin, for fun.

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  Charles Bailey

  I am many things, in addition to being a husband, father and student; I am also a General Contractor that does work for various municipalities within Metro-Detroit. I am not the traditional student as I have been on my journey for many years before being able to make the commitment necessary to achieve my educational goals. I recently resigned from my job of 12 years in order to have the flexibility to pursue my passion for education. Many have questioned my decision to leave such a secure job with a good salary for a job in the ever changing and uncertain world of education. I feel that I am at the point in my life where I no longer value material things as much as I do enduring the happiness one has when doing what they feel most passionate about. When I am not working or studying, I enjoy being a husband to my wife Shay and a father to our two beautiful daughters London (8) and Skyy (5). Together as a family we enjoy spending quality time together including traveling, enjoying the warm weather at home, and family yogurt nights.

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  Kira Dallaire

  Kira Dallaire

  I am a graduate student in the special education department at Eastern, focusing on learning disabilities and American Indian education. I graduated from EMU in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in general education K-8, reading, and integrated science. Over the past ten years, I have worked in the education field in various capacities, serving as the director for before- and after-school programs and summer camps in both Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as working as an early childhood assistant teacher and teaching four year old kindergarten. Currently I am a full-time graduate student and spend several hours a week volunteering with the organization 826Michigan, which allows me to volunteer in various Ypsilanti schools, tutor children after school, and support drop-in writing workshops in Washtenaw County and Detroit. In my spare time, I enjoy hiking, camping, and biking with friends and family. I also enjoy traveling to see live music or curling up with a good book.

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  Rachel Humberson

  Rachel Humberson

  Currently, I am pursuing master’s degree in speech-language pathology in the Department of Special Education. From working as a teacher’s aid in a preschool to a summer camp counselor for students with disabilities to assisting a local speech-language pathologist, my experiences have all lead me to the place I am today. While most of my work has consisted of interacting with children, I am very interested in gaining experience with adults this summer semester. Working with children with varying degrees of need taught me many lessons, challenged me to think critically, and ingrained in me to never stop searching for a solution. My time outside of the classroom is sparse and therefore precious! I prefer to spend my free moments training for half marathons, trying my hand at the latest fitness trend, exploring new restaurants in the area, experimenting with recipes, and traveling whenever possible. My heart overflows with love for all living things – especially Labardoodle puppies and succulent plants – and has lead me down a happy, healthy five years of vegetarianism and partial veganism. If I’m not reading the latest chapter assignment for class, you’ll find my nose buried in a food/life coaching blog.

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  Arista May

  Arista May

  I am a 24 year old graduate student at Eastern Michigan University. Most people know me as Airy, a fun and energetic people person. I will graduate with a Master’s Degree in Speech Language Pathology in December of 2016. I previously attended Michigan State University where I attained my Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies in May of 2013. My passion for Speech Language Pathology stems from my hunger to help others and awareness of how important communication is. My professional goals include working more closely with the Deaf community and eventually entering a doctoral program to attain a PhD and continue research. I currently live in Ypsilanti and love to explore my neighborhood. Currently, I work as a caregiver in a small day care in Ann Arbor. I love being around children. Their curiosity inspires my own curiosity, a characteristic which I believe is essential in leading to a more interesting and fulfilling life. I have always had a broad range of interests and loved to learn new skills. Some of my hobbies include watching documentaries, reading nonfictional books, playing guitar, whittling, and skateboarding.

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  Lorielle Moorhaus

  Lorielle Moorhaus

  I have been married to my husband Ken for 20 years. We have three children – Zachariah (Zack) will be 20 on Wednesday, Jacob (Jake) is 16, and Isabella (Izzy) will be 13 on the 4th of July. I also have a beautiful 27 year old stepdaughter named Emily. I have been a substitute teacher for the past eight years. I started the SEM-T program at EMU in January 2013. I am passionate about teaching, but I am most passionate about making sure that people with disabilities have the same opportunities in this life that most of us take for granted.

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  Brooke Reed

  Brooke Reed

  I graduated from Wayne State University in April 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders. I am currently in Eastern Michigan University's Master of Arts program for Speech-Language Pathology. I am from Lake Orion, Michigan, where my parents, Dave and Tami Reed, currently live. My brother, Brett, is completing his undergraduate degree in Cellular Molecular Biology at the University of Michigan. I work part time as an assistant preschool teacher at Gretchen's House Child Development Center in Ann Arbor. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with friends and family, going to movies, and traveling.

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  Tammy Shen

  Tammy Shen

  I am very touched by your amazing stories, Dee and Bill, and felt the natural connection with you since I was an engineer before and I am a teacher now. I came from China 20 years ago to get my Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. I had worked as a Project Engineer for seven years. On the end of 2013, my older son was diagnosed with ASD while I was 8 month pregnant with my younger son. I gave up my job to raise my children. My older son has made fantastic improvement in the past eleven years. I have seen with my own eyes how powerful special education can be. I wanted to learn the systematic way of special education, to research the best practice, to combine it with my passion and experience in order to help more students with special needs. I am part-time teaching Chinese in Baker Middle School of Troy School District. I am also taking classes to get Chinese endorsement and Master’s degree in special education. In the meaning time, I am co-coaching my children and their classmates who just won two national champions in Academic Games.

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  Jacqueline St. Antoine

  Jacqueline St. Antoine

  A standardized test in junior high revealed the best career for me would be one as a mechanical engineer. Even in my early teens I knew that was not the path for which I was destined. I have always had a strong desire to form connections and that desire drew me to a career in special education. I received my undergraduate degree from Eastern Michigan University in emotional impairments and weeks after graduation began working in Wayne – Westland Community Schools. Five years later I am more certain than ever that I am in exactly the right place. I teach in a dual – diagnosed program for middle school students with an emotional impairment and comorbid cognitive impairment. Relationship and connection building is the cornerstone of my classroom and I am constantly humbled by the amazing things my students accomplish. When my husband and I welcomed our first child last year it cemented my passion for teaching because I now know the hunger a parent experiences for their child to be happy and successful. This hunger drives me to connect with the my students, whether it be over a mutual love of Detroit Tigers baseball or a mutual dislike of Michigan winters.

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  Sara Swiercynski

  Sara Swiercynski

  I am currently in my third semester here at Eastern Michigan University studying for my Master’s in Speech and Language Pathology. This summer my plans include working full time at a restaurant in my hometown, Birmingham, called Social Kitchen and Bar, and celebrating my dear cousin Kelly’s wedding in Baltimore with my whole family. Outside of my school and work life, I keep myself extra busy by making crafts and keeping up to date on the latest news in the physics community. As far as crafting goes, I enjoy working with living materials, and creating art that brings a little bit of the outdoors inside. As far as my interest in physics goes, I am a scientist at heart. The conversations and findings that happen in the physics community spark my imagination and strongly shape the way I perceive the world. I believe that fueling the fire within myself to understand the nature of the reality in which we reside helps me stay grounded in my personal, and academic life.