Graduate Student Spotlight | Maya Aylor

I am a special education teacher for pre-K, kindergarten and first grade in Frederick County Public Schools. I work at Tuscarora Elementary School as one of the special education teachers, and I am also the department chair for special education at my school.

I am a full-time graduate student in the school counseling program at Hood, and in my practicum, I am working with the multilingual learner population at Frederick High School. I have really found a niche there and see how important that work is. For fun, I love Downtown Frederick. I enjoy walking around downtown, trying new restaurants, especially different burgers, and spending time with friends.

Before becoming a special education teacher, I worked as a behavior support assistant for Frederick County. I traveled to about 12 different elementary schools across the county, working with students who had significant behavioral challenges. I would come up with behavior plans, implement them and train staff on how to use them.

That year really opened my eyes to how great the need is for school counselors. It helped me realize how important it is to have someone in the building focused on social emotional support and advocacy for students.

It is definitely a challenge to balance everything. I have always loved a challenge and see myself as a motivated person. I really believe everyone has a purpose, and I think my purpose is to see students for their potential and to identify where they most need support.

The biggest practical piece is that Hood College and my county are very supportive. If I have to leave 15 minutes early to get to class at Hood, they are willing to let me, and I make sure to come in early to give that time back. My admin has been very understanding about my graduate studies, which helps a lot. Some people might worry about burnout, and that is real, but I think if you have the right support system and the right boundaries, you can be successful.

I did a lot of research on schools with accredited counseling programs, because that is very important for licensure. Hood stood out for several reasons.

First, there are deep family connections. My grandmother is a Hood alumna, my stepdad took classes here and my stepmother completed her undergraduate degree here. 

I also liked that Hood made it possible to pursue both school counseling and clinical counseling within the same 60 credits by choosing my electives strategically. I originally applied for school counseling, but it was encouraged along the way to add the clinical piece by using my electives, and that flexibility was very appealing.
 

This past semester especially, I have talked to nearly every professor, because I was trying to figure out how to complete my internship while working full time. I needed special permission for my practicum and internship schedule, and it was a long, draining process.

Throughout that, the faculty have been incredibly supportive. My advisor, Professor Erik Messinger, has been a constant. He listens without trying to “counsel” me in that moment and instead talks to me person to person. He helped me think through how to approach difficult conversations and encouraged me to create a clear visual plan for my practicum and internship, then present it to the people who needed to approve it. That kind of problem-solving process is something I will use for the rest of my career.

Professor Laura Jones and Professor Stephanie Snyder have also been a huge support.
 

One moment was in my Children and Youth class. A play therapist in training visited our class twice to talk about what it takes to become a play therapist. As a special educator, I literally wear a shirt that says “Play is learning,” because I believe that. You teach students real life skills like regulation and problem-solving through play.

Hearing her talk about play therapy and getting to do some of those activities ourselves was both fun and inspiring. You get to see children in their most natural state, which is play, and that is powerful.

First, remember your purpose. There will be hard days whether you are just working, just in grad school or doing both. When things feel overwhelming, take a step back and remind yourself why you are doing this. Look in the mirror and remember that you are here for a reason and that you are going to do amazing things.

Second, build a strong support system and get everyone on the same page. That includes your workplace, your supervisors and Hood. It might take multiple conversations, but when your school, your employer and your program all understand what you are trying to do, they can support you professionally, academically and personally.

Inspired by Maya’s story? Ready to #GOFURTHER in your career? Learn more about Hood College's graduate programs, including school counseling.