Nicole Short

What year did you graduate from SRU and what was your major? 
I graduated this past May (2015) and I dual majored in Early Childhood and Special Education.

What jobs have you landed? 
I currently am working at my dream job as an Elementary School (K-5) Autism Teacher! I accepted the job in Virginia and moved down here a month ago.

How did you prepare for the interview for the job you landed? 
Slippery Rock really helped me to prepare for my interview. I took part in the mock interviews that were offered in the spring and I really believe that it helped me to be prepared. I was able to talk to a principal about what I did well and what I could improve on when my mock interview was finished. As far as preparing for the interview for my current position, I made sure to look up the school I was going to be working at and explored the school’s website. By doing this, I could see the school’s mission and other items that I could look at to see if I thought the school would be a good fit for me. Other than that, I prepared some questions of my own in case I had a chance to ask them, and dressed my best.

What have you done well at that job? 
The Autism program that I am teaching is a brand new program that I am helping to open in my school. Because there was no one in this position before at my current school, I have had many tasks that needed to be completed fairly quickly. I think I have done a good job at getting certain things done in a timely manner. Tasks such as creating workstations for my students, getting visual schedules made and setting up my classroom have been very important in beginning to help my students with their daily routines. I also have such a great support system at my school. The administration, staff and my paraprofessionals have been nothing but helpful as I try to start this program out!

What types of recognition, awards, honors or even activities have you been involved in? 
Since I have only been in this position for a little under a month, I have not had any types of recognition or honors. I do, however, look forward to being able to join different committees within my school. I have always loved planning and organizing events so I would like to be able to use that to help y school in any way possible.

What SRU experience or faculty influenced you and in what way? 
The SRU experience that most influenced me was definitely my student teaching placement in an Elementary Autism classroom. This was when I decided that teaching students with Autism was my dream. No matter how hard of a day I had, I still was able to find something to smile about at the end of the day. The school and cooperating teacher that I had were amazing and I learned so much while I was there. It was also during this time that I decided to apply to grad school. I was accepted and am pursuing my Masters in Special Education with an Autism Emphasis.

I can honestly say that all of my education professors influenced me during my time at Slippery Rock. However, there were a few that helped me, even if unknown to them, more than anyone else. Dr. Gordon and Dr. Snyder talked me into student teaching in Mexico and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. It got me to step out of my comfort zone and I think that without this trip, I would not have been open to moving out of state for a job. Dr. Yamamoto was my faculty supervisor while I was Vice President of Kappa Delta Pi. She allowed two executive board members to create and execute an event at a local elementary school. Her giving us this freedom and trust showed me that I was capable of creating a school-wide event (and it being successful). Dr. Findlan showed me the kind of teacher I want to be. She was very kind and passionate for what she was teaching us. Even though they weren’t special education classes, I truly enjoyed the two classes I had with her. Her impact on me will show in my classroom through my passion for my students.

What else can you tell us about your success story that SRU students could learn from? 
What you do/learn during your field placements will help you during interviews. I only had one interview question that I had learned the answer from being in class (Dr. Monfore’s FBA Assignment was a life saver for this particular question). All of the other questions were ones about what I would do in a certain situation. All of these answers came from my first-hand experiences in my placements. So, get all you can out of your placements so that you have something to talk about during your interview.
Finally, be open to moving. I started out my college career saying that I wouldn’t move for a job. But when you get offered a chance to make your dream come true, you’re supposed to take it. For me, that meant chasing my dream down to Virginia. And even though it is hard moving away from my family and friends, working with my students every day makes everything else completely worth it.