Emily Gothelf

I am a third-year Undergraduate student at Vanderbilt studying Special Education on the severe track and minoring in cognitive studies. I have been pursuing my interest in this field since middle school and have found that I am extremely passionate about my ability to connect with adolescents/adults on the Autism Spectrum. My passion for special education is rooted in my admiration for the autistic brain and the different ways they process the same experiences as the neurotypical brain. I have worked in a specialized classroom, creating and implementing a behavior intervention plan. For the past four summers, I have been working at a day camp for people with developmental disabilities. I completed SCIP-R training for my camp position to be more prepared to prevent crises. Being able to apply what I understand about neurodiverse brains to real-life situations is extremely rewarding. I expect that whatever I learn from my research experience to help provide a foundation for me to care for, teach, and work with individuals in my career.