| |
| |
| |
| |
|
February 11, 2010 - Douglas valedictorian finds her passion
A part-time job led Burnaby’s Noreen Chiu to her passion - working with children diagnosed with autism.
“To gain some experience while getting my undergraduate degree, I took a part-time job working with a couple of children with autism. This was my first introduction to the world of autism and I was immediately fascinated by it,” says Chiu.
In order to enhance her workplace experience, Chiu enrolled in the Disability and Applied Behaviour Analysis (DABA) Program at Douglas College. She was valedictorian for her graduating class last Friday.
Chiu now works as a behavioural consultant with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder - she continued to work while studying at Douglas. She learned about the DABA Program while at a professional workshop. “It’s one of the few programs in the country to offer the required coursework for me to become a Board Certified Associate Behaviour Analyst,” says Chiu.
Her instructors say Chiu balanced her full-time job and studies at Douglas with finesse. “Through our discussions in class, it was clear Noreen could relate the material being covered in class with her own experience working with young children with autism,” says Nicholas Watkins.
Chiu is now completing a Master’s in Special Education at UBC.
She advises her fellow graduates not to be afraid to make mistakes.
“When we are in fields where we are striving to make a difference in people’s lives, we want to do it all perfectly. But we are working with individuals who are all unique. The best we can do is to apply the knowledge and experiences that we have gained to the best of our abilities, and be open to making mistakes and learning from it.”
“To gain some experience while getting my undergraduate degree, I took a part-time job working with a couple of children with autism. This was my first introduction to the world of autism and I was immediately fascinated by it,” says Chiu.
In order to enhance her workplace experience, Chiu enrolled in the Disability and Applied Behaviour Analysis (DABA) Program at Douglas College. She was valedictorian for her graduating class last Friday.
Chiu now works as a behavioural consultant with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder - she continued to work while studying at Douglas. She learned about the DABA Program while at a professional workshop. “It’s one of the few programs in the country to offer the required coursework for me to become a Board Certified Associate Behaviour Analyst,” says Chiu.
Her instructors say Chiu balanced her full-time job and studies at Douglas with finesse. “Through our discussions in class, it was clear Noreen could relate the material being covered in class with her own experience working with young children with autism,” says Nicholas Watkins.
Chiu is now completing a Master’s in Special Education at UBC.
She advises her fellow graduates not to be afraid to make mistakes.
“When we are in fields where we are striving to make a difference in people’s lives, we want to do it all perfectly. But we are working with individuals who are all unique. The best we can do is to apply the knowledge and experiences that we have gained to the best of our abilities, and be open to making mistakes and learning from it.”
-30-
