My name is Abigail Verbeke and I graduated from DePaul University with a B.S. in Special Education in June 2022. I am currently working towards my M.A.E in Curriculum and Instruction at Olivet Nazarene University. I grew up in West Bloomfield, Michigan, a suburb northwest of Detroit. My first time working with people with disabilities was volunteering through my church in middle school. After that, I have always gravitated towards working with this population. As president of the community service club in high school, I tutored students with learning disabilities regularly and volunteered for the Special Olympics every time I got the chance. I wholeheartedly enjoyed participating in these activities. During my senior year, I joined the SNAPS & PALS program and I looked forward to the class everyday. It was clear to me that working with people with disabilities was one of my greatest passions. 

       After graduating, I moved to Chicago to attend DePaul University. I was drawn to the diversity and experiences I would gain in a big city and quickly fell in love with Chicago. DePaul's slogan is "What must be done?" and I was excited to be a part of a school dedicated to improving communities on a larger scale. 

       I began as a Health Science Major in the Pathway Honors Program with hopes to become a pediatric PA. However, I quickly realized medicine wasn't what I wanted to do. I decided to follow my passion of working with children and individuals with disabilities and switched my major to Special Education. As I learned more about special education and the education system, I realized it all aligned with what I care about most. I genuinely believe that this career is my purpose in life. I am confident in my ability to teach and grow in this field and I am overjoyed that I will get to spend my time every day doing what I love. 

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