Path's Graduate Abigail Junek

July 19, 2021

Abigail Junek interviewed and was hired as an Instruction Assistant, SpEd CASL at River Bend Elementary school. CASL stands for Communication, Academics, Social Learning. Abigail will be working with the 3-4 year old children in the CASL classroom.

Abigail stated, "The main thing I will be doing is serving students and supporting teachers!"
"This is my Dream Job, and it is only about 10 minutes from my house! I'm looking forward to learning and growing with the River Bend team."

While growing up Abigail had many teachers tell her that she wouldn't graduate from high school and that she would not find a job that she loved. She says that she had a great support system and they encouraged her in her life choices. She has always had a "can-do" attitude when trying to achieve something that she may have once been told she could not do. She has always persevered.

When asked about the PATHS program Abigail said, "The most important thing I learned in the PATHS Program was managing my time wisely and prioritizing tasks. There was also a lot of emphasis on communicating professionally from sending emails, creating a resume, writing a cover letter to completing job applications. I learned how to respectfully communicate with a supervisor."

Abigail is excited about working at River Bend Elementary School and feels confident and prepared to begin her work as a paraprofessional in a SpEd setting in the fall. She is looking fo growing and learning in her career. Her ultimate goal is to earn a degree from Texas A&M University and become a certified Special Education Teacher. She stated that the PATHS program was a great first step for her.

She will be continuing her education by taking undergraduate courses through Blinn College.

In sharing her good news Abigail was also proud to announce her friend is in the PATHS co-hort this year and she is excited for her to have the same awesome experience.

Way to go Abigail - keep it up!