Ms. Link

After earning my Bachelor's degree from Appalachian State University, I returned to my hometown of Swannanoa and began working at my aunt's in-home daycare. In 2015 I assumed the roles of director and lead teacher so that she could retire. During this time, I enjoyed implementing the Reggio Emilia and Waldorf educational methods that I studied, observed, and practiced during my time at ASU. I continue to integrate these teaching approaches into my special education classroom today.

In 2020, I decided to return to school to pursue a career as an Occupational Therapy Assistant. I have always had a strong passion for working with children and knew early on in my program that I wanted to specialize in pediatrics within this field. I started working at an outpatient pediatric Speech and Occupational Therapy clinic

In my role as a pediatric Occupational Therapy Assistant, I had the privilege of working with numerous patients diagnosed with Autism. This experience made me realize I have a deep passion for supporting and helping children within this population. A friend told me about a special education teaching position at an elementary school in the district where I grew up and where my daughter currently attends middle school. I began teaching at Black Mountain Elementary in August of 2024 and could not be happier! I maintained a small caseload of patients from my OT practice and continued to serve them until November, when I began the application process for my current graduate program.

I look forward to completing my Special Education degree at WCU over the next few years.  After graduation, my goal is to participate in research on the educational benefits of using sensory regulation practices and sensory-adaptive environments in the school setting