Mikayla Pascucci-Wallace ’20 says she felt the calling to enter the field of special education from as early as her own elementary school days.
Now, after a vibrant and busy academic career at the University of Hartford and the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions (ENHP), from which she earned a bachelor’s degree, a master’s in special education, and certifications from the Integrated Elementary and Special Education programs, she has leveraged that calling into a professional life that gives her a tremendous amount of personal satisfaction, while helping hundreds of others at the same time.
Pascucci-Wallace heads the special education department at Connecticut’s Manchester High School. She also co-teaches classes, and serves as an adjunct professor and supervisor for the University of Hartford in the Department of Education.
“I grew up in West Hartford, a town that fostered the inclusion model for students with disabilities,” Pascucci-Wallace shares. “I enjoyed becoming friends with my disabled classmates and ended up joining such organizations as Unified Sports and Unified Theatre. It was wonderful to see them thrive and succeed in school and in their extracurricular activities. That was my inspiration.”
Well aware that special education will always be an evolving field, what with laws, legislation, tools, and processes being improved all the time, Pascucci-Wallace entered her studies knowing that there were huge opportunities to make a positive difference in the lives of so many students.
“If I had to put my professional goal into a single statement, it would be to make education more equitable for students with disabilities, and to ensure that they are able to succeed within any educational setting,” she says.
In her current role, Pascucci-Wallace supervises and evaluates paraeducators and tutors, and oversees special education teachers across three programs at Manchester High. She also leads professional development sessions within each of those programs, in conjunction with special education colleagues.
As both an undergraduate and graduate student, Pascucci-Wallace was a member of Kappa Delta Pi, the international honor society for education, an ambassador for ENHP, and a student-representative for the School University Partnership Advisory Board (SUPAB).
When she reflects on what she truly appreciated at UHart and ENHP, the small classes come instantly to mind. “I was never a number,” she adds. “Professors called me by my first name, and what’s more, I formed strong connections with all of them and felt supported and encouraged each step of the way—connections that last to this day.”
Pascucci-Wallace is also putting serious thought behind pursuing a doctoral degree in special education, though she has not yet decided if she will stay in K–12 or perhaps concentrate on higher education.
Whatever she decides, her time and experience at UHart well prepared her for any career eventuality. “I felt comfortable and confident as I embarked on my student teaching experience at the beginning of my senior year,” Pascucci-Wallace explains. “I was placed in schools in urban, suburban, and rural districts, which helped me learn best practices for all of those options. I completed fieldwork across all grades, and this helped me feel more comfortable, confident, and prepared for career development at all levels. Having a University supervisor in my senior year when I was student-teaching helped prepare me even more.”
As Pascucci-Wallace continues to forge an exemplary career in special education, she won’t be the only one who benefits from her enthusiasm and conscientiousness; countless students will be the beneficiaries of those wonderful attributes.