Meet Hilary!
Hilary is fun-loving and quick to smile. She enjoys video games, spending time with friends and playing sports. In the summer of 2024, after over a decade of hard work and commitment, Hilary accomplished a life-long goal by graduating from Whatcom Community College with an Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. Hilary was determined to complete her degree, even after landing her “dream job” at a local early learning center in 2022. Luckily, she had support from both Cascade Connections’ Vocational Services and Supported Living while she pursued her education.
Hilary began working toward her Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education in 2010. Then, in 2011, she began services with Cascade Connections through a Community Based Assessment contract with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. She began working at Fred Meyer, and according to Vocational Services Program Director, Carrie Carron, “Hilary really grew a lot during her years at Fred Meyer.” Her first responsibilities were wiping tables and emptying the food court trash cans, but over the years she grew into completing all duties of the customer service position, including using the register. “She really learned to advocate for herself while she worked at Fred Meyer,” said Carrie.
Because of her success with her vocational services, Hilary decided to transition to Cascade Connections’ Supported Living Program in 2015. Hilary really enjoys the trust and rapport she’s developed with her Supported Living team. And though she had already begun her journey with higher education before beginning services with Cascade Connections, Hilary expressed gratitude to her support teams in both the Vocational Services and Supported Living Departments for all their support while she pursued her degree.
Hilary’s job coaches helped her maintain her eligibility for school, supported her in navigating the bureaucracy of higher education and helped coordinate her practicum through the same early learning center where she currently works. Hilary’s Supported Living team helped her finish school by providing an extra layer of accountability for her homework. There were several meetings with Hilary and staff from both departments where plans were made for supports needed as she pursued the next step of her degree process.
We recently caught up with Hilary to chat about her college experience. Hilary started out a little reserved, but opened up as she began to answer more questions. When asked about her favorite part of college, she said she “really liked doing something new.” Hilary said she has, “always known that she wanted to work with children, especially little kids.”
While she really enjoyed college overall, she did experience some challenges. According to Hilary, “the evening and early morning classes were the hardest part and English was the hardest class.” She ended up taking English more than once because she “hated all the reading.” She also took a few semesters off while she worked out her financial aid. But in the end, she completed all of her coursework and finished her final class in December of 2023. She was excited to walk the stage in the summer of 2024 with the rest of her class. Hilary’s mother and aunt joined her at the graduation ceremony.
Now that she’s completed her Associate’s degree, Hilary is weighing the pros and cons of returning to school. She’s thinking about taking some additional classes, maybe even at Western Washington University. She might like to take ASL (American Sign Language) classes, or even go back to school to become a para-educator. While she’s considering her next step, Cascade Connections will continue to offer support, at work, at home, and in the community.
In Hilary’s free time she enjoys attending the weekend programing at the Max Higbee Center, making arts and crafts, and participating in Special Olympics (she even went to State in 2024 for Track and Field!). She also loves to take care of her two bunnies, Jelly Bean and Midnight. Next time you see Hilary, make sure to congratulate her on her remarkable achievement! Congratulations Hilary!
Hilary was offered her position at The Seedlings Early Learning Center after successfully completing her internship with support from Cascade Connections Vocational staff! You can read Cascade Connections Selects The Seedlings Early Learning Center as Employer of the Quarter (PDF File: 469 KB) article for more details.