To whom it may concern, “The influence of a good ABA can never be erased.” This was the quote on the homemade ornament I had received from the first child I had ever worked with. The time and effort the child and family put in to make me the ornament, the colorful erasers inside the glass ball, and the letters in my favorite color. They thought of all the details: and that homemade gift meant the world to me: it still does! Before the ABA field, I knew I wanted to work with children and help make the world a better place. I firmly believe it is my God-given talent, and I know now that I am on the path to becoming a BCBA. Just like the family who gave me the gift thought of all the details, we in this field also think of all the details! This makes our field unique and something I apply to every day. Whether being creative and coming up with a new craft you know your kiddo will love or putting in the hours to make the materials you know they need to be successful. For everything I do in my job, I go the extra mile; put in the extra thought. Not only do I build a rapport with the clients I work with, but with their families, who learn to trust me. They see the confidence beaming from their child after treatment! I have currently been in the ABA field now for almost four years. I started in my junior year of college as a behavior therapist in-home services. Since then, I have practiced in a clinic setting for over two years, along with being in charge of the Student for Higher Program, where I trained and recruited new students who love the ABA field! I have been honored enough to receive an HMEA Children’s Therapist Award, a reward given to a therapist who goes the extra mile for families and clients. This all has led to where I am today in-home services at PBS! I knew very quickly that I wanted to become a BCBA. The minute I met my first ever BCBA, I remember asking, “If you don’t mind me asking: how can I do what you do?” After finding out about the schooling it takes to become a BCBA, this did not intimidate me but instead drove me even more, to take on the challenge! I am currently enrolled in the BCBA program at Cambridge College. I put in hours every day to not only work full time but to make extra time for unrestricted hours and study for weekly exams and homework. I keep up to date with essential aspects of ABA like the ethics code, the latest published studies, and further research for topics that interest me, such as nonverbal communication and motivating operations. My current BCBA can always trust me to pick up or add any hours and be flexible with any schedule changes, whatever the child and their family may need! I am proud of who I am becoming in this field and the lives I have been able to touch. When your BCBA tells you about a parent who says, “My child loves her…I wouldn’t trust anybody else working with my child,”. Or when you help a child learn to use their words to communicate, is thriving in school and hear from the parent, “This is all because of you.” When a mother tells me, “I am more confident with my child than I ever have been.” These are such wonderful and touching things to hear, and always makes me smile and reflect on my car rides home. I think to myself about how all the extra time and effort is absolutely worth every second. I can relate to every child I work with, no matter how old or young. I am a child at heart, and that is one of my strengths in this field, along with my adaptable nature. I love to laugh, sing Disney songs, paint and draw, and even play duck duck goose any day of the week. Sometimes people who don’t know me will ask me how I do what I do. I simply say: Put in the extra thought. Go the extra mile. It is well worth seeing the positive changes in the children you work with and the incredible rapport you create with the clients, coworkers, and families. I know for a fact that God is proud of my work, so I will keep doing it and go the extra mile, because that is what these kids need! Thank you for your consideration for this scholarship! Lydia Mitchell