After my first year as a student at Dominican University, I chose to explore my passion for special education by working as an Inclusion aide for the YMCA. Under this title, I worked as a one-on-one aide for special ed students in the YMCA program. I specifically worked with 3 different students, two with autism and the other had Down syndrome. This job challenged and strengthened my skills for working with children with special needs. I was tasked to help include my students in activities with the other students in the program. Throughout the summer, I was thrilled to observe the growth in social and emotional skills my students attained. I was also able to create strong connections with my students and colleagues, and am glad to carry my growth from this experience into my future teaching.