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March 1 is Employee Appreciation Day! We are celebrating our team members all month long by sharing their stories. Read more about Annie Deguire, Lead Behavior Technician, and her heart for impacting children’s lives through ABA therapy at our Your Life ABA campus in Lynchburg, VA.

What is your favorite thing about working here?

My favorite part is growing with the kids. After being here for almost a year and a half and spending each week with the kids, I have developed my own special relationship with them. We have great days together and get to celebrate those, and we also have hard days together. But no matter what, we start fresh and try again the next day, eventually developing such special relationships over time.

What keeps you coming to work each day?

This job is a lot of problem solving, it always keeps me thinking, “how can I do this better?” “How can we make this work for the kid to learn what we are teaching in a way that helps them understand?” And I love the people I work with; we all collaborate and talk about how we can come together to create the best environment for the kids to have success with us as a team. Each day looks different and that’s the best part of this job, constantly having a new goal to reach as a team. 

How do you make an impact on clients’ lives?

I think it’s a team effort between us, the teachers, and the parents. Personally, I think the biggest impact is made by showing up with a good attitude and ready to love on the kids when they need it the most. Being a constant person in their lives that they know and have built trust with over time is so impactful for their learning environment. 

Last year, we rolled out our BetterTogether guiding principles. Which one of our values resonates with you most personally and why? (Integrity, Accountable, Collaborative, Inclusive, Supportive)

I think being supportive is a huge part of this role. Supporting the individual needs of the child is so important, whether that’s a hug, listening to them, or simply showing up and taking the time to get to know how they work best. Also, by supporting the families and teachers and listening to their needs, a team effort is created with all the most influential people in the child’s life working together to do the best we can.

What does a “day in the life” look like for your role?

I wake up and start my day in the gym which allows me to come in awake and feeling good. I get everything ready for the specific kid I am working with that day. I look over their plans and we start our session together working through their goals. Each day looks different, and we work together on whatever the specific kid needs which is a wide range of goals across all the kids we work with. 

Can you talk a little bit about your career trajectory and what led you to where you are now?

My initial plan was to become a special education teacher because I knew I had a heart for kids who may not have it as easy as others. However, now that I am involved in the ABA field, I have decided that after completing my bachelor's in special education at Liberty University, I will further my educational career. I plan to start my master's in ABA Therapy in the fall.

What has been your proudest moment or accomplishment in your role?

The best part of this job is that the smallest wins are actually the biggest deal. The reason we do this is to encourage the kids to achieve and reach their goals, so I love celebrating what seems like a small success, because to the kids, it’s huge, and I’m so proud of them for every little accomplishment along the way to achieving their goals. 

What is something about you that not many people know?

I love playing tennis and pickle-ball in my free time. 

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