Meet Kaitlyn

Following the Signs to a New Career

Day after day, Kaitlyn would see happy almost-graduates walk through the office where she worked to pick up their caps and gowns, ready for the day they could walk across the stage in their new regalia gear.

“It was hard to watch children and young adults coming in and picking up their cap and gowns, but how do you afford college,” said Kaitlyn.

Desperate for a new job, Kaitlyn walked into a local daycare that was hiring to see if they’d be interested.

“I met with the director without an interview. Face to face is so much better than over the phone. You get to know the person instead of the voice,” she said. “I filled out an application and walked out the front door.”

But she didn’t get too far before they called her back.

“I was down the steps and I heard her say, ‘You’re hired! We’ll see you Monday!’ I did a little dance and almost fell off the steps in excitement,” said Kaitlyn.

Kaitlyn started work and immediately fell in love with children. She really wanted to go back to college, but after talking to her co-workers, she started weighing everything they were saying about going back to school and how much it cost. Needing a sign for what to do with all this information, a fortuitous turn of events came to light.

“My director came around the corner and said she needed to talk to me. ‘How would you like to go to college for free,’ she asked me. Wait a second, sign me up.”

Kaitlyn started on her early childhood education journey by beginning in online courses to work around her 52-hour work schedule. The next semester, she found herself in a small, close-knit classroom of her local community college.

After one year of classes, Kaitlyn earned her Early Childhood Development Career Studies certificate. And to further her experience on the pathway to an associate degree in the field, Kaitlyn applied for and received the Davenport Fellowship.

“I was refreshing my feed on my email every minute to see if I got in the Fellows program,” said Kaitlyn. “It has sent me on this incredible journey. I give it all to God. Without my faith, I would not be where I am today. I would still behind that desk watching others go through want I wanted for myself.”

Kaitlyn is on the way to earning her degree next year.