In middle school resource specialist Katie Bialk began working at Syble Hoppe in DePere.

“I loved the outlook on life they had and being a part of their growth,” she said. “I knew I wanted to work with children in unique situations, but I originally thought I wanted to work with pediatric oncology patients.” 

The emotional toll of nursing school, however, caused her to switch gears in her career choice. 

 “I knew I still wanted to work to make a difference in kids’ lives, so urban education seemed fitting,” Bialk said. During her years in college she worked as an autism line therapist and ran a daycare program for school-age kids. 

“After years working with at-risk kids in Milwaukee and seeing how underserved students with unique learning needs were,” Bialk decided to get a masters in Special Education. 

Now, because of the pandemic, her job has been hard. Before Covid-19 she was able to work in small groups to help the students who were struggling.

The amount of support Student Services is able to provide has diminished because it is harder to reach students, and it has become more difficult to help without sitting down with the students. 

“We have been able to bring kids in, in small groups, which has helped a lot,” Bialk said. 

A piece of advice she gives to students that are struggling is “You are not alone! Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness.”