Maggie Michael 2022 Jennifer Leigh Kynkor Scholarship Awardee

Maggie Michael is an Ohio native, growing up in Granville.  Like our other scholarship recipient this year, Maggie went to Butler University and majored in Communication Sciences and Disorders.  Various factors led Maggie to her career and education choices, but the springboard was a friend named Jordyn.  Jordyn and Maggie played field hockey together in high school and formed a wonderful friendship.  Jordyn has Down syndrome.  As their friendship developed, Maggie witnessed first-hand the challenges Down syndrome presents.  Communication is one of them and led Maggie into the field of speech-language pathology.  As Maggie wrapped up her undergraduate studies she worked and trained as a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) at Kid's Count Therapy, LLC (you'll see that name again in the other bio).  Working as an RBT for individuals with autism proved to be both challenging and gratifying.  Seeing her patients take on and accomplishing tasks has been very, very rewarding.  Maggie will be a tremendous resource for children and families with disabilities, specifically autism, for a very long time.  We're very proud to welcome Maggie to the Jennifer Leigh Kynkor scholarship "family" and look forward to continuing our relationship in the years to come.

Bailey Spears 2022 Jennifer Leigh Kynkor Scholarship Awardee

Brownsburg, IN is Bailey Spears' home town, and as mentioned above, Butler University is where she obtained her undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders.  Her track to this career path actually began in middle school, working in the Special Education classroom.  She kept on working there through high school.  As she completed her work at Butler, Bailey became a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) while working at Kid's Count Therapy, LLC.  Sounds familiar, right?  Her work there was with children 2-16 years of age who were on the autism spectrum and/or developmental disabilities.  Bailey went on to work directly with a nonverbal child with autism who depended on a communication device to help express wants, needs etc.  Helping children find their "voice" is her goal and what a goal that is!  Once again, the JLKF is blessed with another outstanding young lady to join the professional field and help us carry on Jenny's legacy!

Emily Lorch 2021 Jennifer Leigh Kynkor Scholarship Awardee

One of our two 2021 scholarship awards goes to Emily Lorch.  Emily graduated from Purdue University and lives in nearby Fishers, Indiana.  Like so many of our awardees, Emily came to her career choice by way of experiences gained while working with other students throughout her high school years.  She participated in mentoring programs during the school day and carried it over to working with the same students as a member of a unified track team.  In her senior year she had the opportunity to work with non-verbal students and observed professional speech pathologists and others using new automated technologies to communicate.  Her desire to work in speech pathology blossomed at Purdue, when she worked as a Direct Support Professional for nearly 3 years.  That time was spent with a young boy 3-4 days each week, forming the kind of bond we so often see.  Emily developed a close relationship with his family and now sees herself working with the greater pediatric population, helping those who have developmental or intellectual disabilities.  

Lauren Tebbe 2021 Jennifer Leigh Kynkor Scholarship Awardee

Our next scholarship is awarded to University of Cincinnati graduate, Lauren Tebbe.  If you want to hear an interesting career path develop you've come to the right place!  Lauren began working with individuals having developmental disabilities, including autism, in orphanages located in Monterray, Mexico.  She worked with children who were experiencing a range of developmental disabilities, who were often misunderstood and unable to express themselves.  Those sweet kids really touched her heart.  During her time at UC, she worked in IMPACT, an organization that works with autistic adults to help them navigate the campus and college life.  She furthered her work during her senior year, as part of her capstone project and became interested in how new technologies are helping to enrich the lives of those impacted by these challenging disorders.  Seeing behaviors improve and personalities come to life helped Lauren decide to pursue this as her chosen career path.