Katelyn Suchyta

Katelyn Suchyta began pursuing her Doctor of Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies through Boston University Wheelock College of Education and Human Development in the summer of 2022. After graduating from college, she was then selected to join Teach for America (TFA), a nonprofit organization that recruits passionate and motivated students to serve as teachers in underserved and underresourced areas in the United States. Through TFA, she was hired as a second-grade teacher at Gaston Elementary School in Northampton County, a rural area of North Carolina. This is a Title 1 elementary school, where 86% of students perform below grade level. In this role, she created a safe learning environment, empowered students, and engaged students in a self-made curriculum. She was selected by the principal as the lead both the second-grade teacher and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program in reflecting on academic and social behaviors. In addition, she developed an after-school tutoring program for students to attend at no cost and served as a lead teacher at the county’s Summer Academy.

In 2019, Katelyn relocated to Wisconsin and taught second grade at Bridges Elementary School with the Sauk Prairie School District. She then obtained her master’s in elementary education at Boston University to advance her expertise, leadership, and skills as an elementary educator. Because of her interest in and background in mathematics, she was concurrently hired as a math interventionist at Launch™ Speech and Reading, which provides support for children with a variety of communication needs including dyslexia, autism, traumatic brain injury, and ADHD. Here, she provided in-person and virtual lessons and activities to engage the children in math concepts and expand students’ critical-thinking skills, problem-solving strategies, and foundational math topics. In 2021-2022, Katelyn taught first grade at the School for Agricultural and Environmental Studies (SAGES), a Title 1, project-based and public charter school with the Waupun Area School District in Fox Lake, WI. She created and implemented hands-on and minds-on projects to engage students in agriculture, the environment, and the community.

Currently, Katelyn works as the Hospital Teacher/School Liaison at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center in Portland, ME. She collaborates with schools and families to recommend services for supporting academic learning while pediatric patients are undergoing treatment. Her services include reviewing school documentations, including IEPs and 504 plans, assisting in developing appropriate educational support plans, and communicating with children’s schools to help with transitions back to school as needed. Katelyn also provides individualized instructional services to children ages 5-18 years old within the hospital setting, works collaboratively with the medical care team, and writes daily session reports for each child within their electronic medical record.

Katelyn believes the most important factors that contribute to student success are for students to feel safe, valued, and respected at school. Therefore, she is excited to further develop her own knowledge of educational equity, staying up to date with social justice topics, and implementing inclusive research-based methods through Boston University’s EdD courses. She strives to continually challenge herself and reflect on her abilities to empower and make learning accessible for all students.

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