Hello, my name is Amanda Hildreth and I am currently working toward my MS in ABA psychology. I began my schooling journey when I was in my early twenties. At the time I was a single mom of two toddlers. I was employed as a preschool teacher and was considered low-income. My goal was to work my way into a regional role within my company in order to not only provide quality services to staff and families, but also to better support myself and my daughters. Within five years of my initial goal, I had earned my way into a regional role at the preschool facility and held my BA in psychology. From there, I moved into my MS in ABA psychology program and am now leading in a regional role for an ABA company. Although I have had a lot of positive growth in my personal life and career over the last decade, this growth did not come without "growing pains." For the first several years as a single parent, I was disadvantaged financially and working nearly around the clock to "climb the ladder" into a regional role at my company. However, despite the difficulties and adversities I faced, I was able to look back and realize that I was farther ahead than I was a few months ago. This was a healthy reminder as I moved forward in my journey. In addition, I knew that my efforts would eventually pay off so that I could support myself and my daughters without struggling, and I knew that I was an example to them on how to be a strong, independent woman. I am now financially stable and working toward becoming a behavior analyst in the field of ABA.

My name is Amanda Hildreth and I am a current employee of Positive Behavior Supports. I serve as the Staffing Services Specialist for three regions in the state of South Carolina and am also RBT certified. Prior to serving for PBS, I have a twenty year professional background in the field of Early Childhood Education (ECE) where I served as a teacher, administrator, and regional director for The Goddard School and Cadence Academy Preschools, nation-wide chains of high-quality preschools. I am passionate about the field of ECE and grew in my various roles through volunteer experiences at shelters, as well as furthering my education to receive my North Carolina ECE Teaching Credentials, North Carolina ECE Administrator's Certification, and BA in psychology. During my time furthering my education for the field of ECE, I was a single mother of two toddlers. At this time, I had an associate's degree in psychology and was employed as a preschool teacher with The Goddard School. While I loved teaching, it was my five-year goal to obtain a regional management role within the field of ECE in order to not only better support my daughters, but also to serve my schools to the best of my ability. I envisioned growing into a role where I could lead with integrity, grace, and passion. Within five years of my initial plan, I had completed the schooling necessary for the credentials mentioned above and was promoted to Director of Education at The Goddard School in Waxhaw, North Carolina. From there, I completed my BA in psychology and went on to be promoted, first to the Director of Education at Cadence Academy Preschool at Raintree, Charlotte, then to the Regional Coordinator for Cadence Academy Preschools of North Carolina. During my time as Regional Coordinator, I was monumental in successfully coordinating, collaborating with, and managing Meck Pre-K programs, county Pre-K programs for low-income families which were housed in our schools at Cadence Academy. I found great fulfillment in this role as I connected with families, completed in-home visits, and ensured the success of children in the programs while also ensuring the quality training of every teacher and teacher's assistant employed with the programs. I attended every extra-curricular training that was offered in order to grow more rapidly in this role. During my time in this role, I oversaw 12 teachers/teaching assistants and helped manage one hundred and twenty children in the program. Despite my successes in the field of ECE, I felt the growing desire to serve in a more individualized setting in which I could impact high-need families and their children. I believe working with an at-need population sparked this passion. The Meck Pre-K program included not only low-income families, but also children with individualized education plans (IEPs) and I found great fulfillment in working closely with these families to ensure academic success before kindergarten. I began pursuing a potential career in either ABA or clinical mental health counseling in order to fulfill the desire to impact more closely. At the same time, my third daughter was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. This solidified my decision to join the master's of applied behavior analysis program at Purdue University Global in order to learn more ways in which I could not only aide in my daughter's growth and development, but also how my skills could be applied in clinical settings with children in need of ABA services. I am currently set to graduate in June of 2022 and am proudly averaging a 4.0 GPA. I have quickly grown to love the field of ABA, as well as Positive Behavior Supports Inc. I plan to remain with the company as a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) and pursue a doctoral degree in ABA psychology at the completion of my MS program. As of now, my five-year plan is to become successful in the field of ABA as a BCBA, graduate with a 4.0 in my master's program, and begin researching doctoral programs in the field of ABA. I plan to always pursue ongoing education as it not only helps me to maintain a well-rounded background, but also sets a firm example for my four daughters (ages 14, 12, 5, and 3). I hope that through my endeavors, they learn the importance of education and the impact that one well educated person may make on a population. My journey through the fields of ECE and ABA have been meaningful, impactful, and enjoyable. I have dedicated my life thus far to serving families and children and training educators. Regardless of where my path takes me, I would not be fulfilled unless working with this population of individuals. I am thankful for the opportunities I have had to serve and look forward to growing in the field and furthering my education.