When Miriam Ramirez-Garceau came to Massachusetts from her home in El Salvador in 2019, she arrived intending to enroll in a program to learn more about special education and working with children with autism. It didn’t take her long before she found her place at NECC.
“I had been living in Massachusetts as an au pair for a couple of years when a friend told me about Western New England University and its partnership with NECC,” she explained. “I genuinely thought that both WNEU and NECC offered excellent opportunities for learning and professional experience, so I decided to apply. The rest is history.”
Ramirez-Garceau’s journey began as soon as she first learned about autism and witnessed the services being offered in her native El Salvador. “I knew I wanted to get involved working in the field because I was deeply moved by the warmth and dedication of those efforts, and I wanted to contribute in any way possible,” she said. “I was determined to learn how to deliver quality services to children with autism. With this in mind, I actively sought out opportunities to fulfill this aspiration.”
Ramirez-Garceau came to the U.S. through the Au Pair in America program and worked as an au pair — a job she calls both personally and professionally rewarding — before joining NECC as a teacher in the residential program in January 2022. She chose NECC because of the shared vision of improving the lives of individuals with autism and their families. She also appreciated the exceptional opportunity NECC offers staff to expand their knowledge and engagement in ABA and research, particularly through the on-site graduate programs.
“When I enrolled in the WNEU program and joined NECC, I had no background in ABA,” she explained. “Every bit of knowledge I’ve acquired has not only enhanced my abilities as a teacher but also provided me with a clinical perspective and deeper understanding of the work I do every day. The impact has been overwhelmingly positive.”
This past spring, Ramirez-Garceau received the Myrna E. Libby Scholar Award, which honors one staff member enrolled in each of NECC’s onsite graduate programs — Simmons University and WNEU — whose work exemplifies Myrna Libby’s vision that research guides the education and treatment of individuals with autism. Myrna Libby, Ph.D., BCBA, was a director at NECC for 20 years and the principal program architect of NECC’s internationally recognized curriculum before she passed away in 2008.
While Ramirez-Garceau considers winning the Myrna Libby Award a tremendous honor, she credits her colleagues for getting her here. “This moment encapsulates the profound impact of having an exceptional advisor, outstanding professors from WNEU, and remarkable supervisors and mentors at NECC,” she said. “Their guidance has fueled my growth in the field — as an educator, a professional, and an aspiring BCBA. They’ve equipped me with invaluable tools that will enable me to offer the best services to enhance the quality of life for individuals living with autism.”
Through her work with WNEU, Ramirez-Garceau has been involved in research for her practicum and thesis, including projects focused on improving the quality of video calls between families and individuals with autism living in residential settings — one she calls a “crucial aspect for families” — and one that focuses on self-advocacy and autonomy for individuals with autism. She was also recently given the opportunity to serve in a clinical role as a WNEU graduate assistant as part of her job as a teacher at NECC, which affords her opportunities to participate in clinical projects and gain experience in clinical decision-making.
“I find these areas of research both interesting and important,” she said, adding that she hopes to pursue work related to skill acquisition in the future. For now, Ramirez-Garceau will continue to enjoy everything about her job, particularly working with her students every day and helping them progress and achieve their goals, just as she always imagined.
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2024 edition of Insight.