Lisa LaBonte BA '13 G'18

Lisa LaBonte BA '13, G'18 loves children and always wanted to be a teacher and have a classroom of her own. She started her educational journey at Springfield College several years ago but left a few credits short of earning her degree. Although she dreamed of returning to earn her bachelor’s degree, as the mother of three young children she wasn’t sure if that would ever be a possibility. She didn’t know if it would be possible to balance work, motherhood, and schoolwork.  Eleven years later, Lisa turned that possibility into her reality by enrolling at Bay Path University.

Taking classes on the weekend at the Sturbridge campus as well as classes online, Lisa found the faculty to be supportive and flexible. “Life happens, but Bay Path makes earning a degree 100% doable,” she said. “They aid in all the administrative responsibilities of enrolling and earning a degree and offer a support system for any student needs and any type of assistance from financial aid to registration.”

After graduating in 2013 with a Liberal Arts degree, Lisa became an ABA Aide at Brimfield Elementary School where she provided individualized therapy services directed toward the development and enhancement of skills necessary for emotional, cognitive, behavioral, language, and interpersonal growth of her students. She worked with individual students to reinforce learning of material or skills based on the student’s needs, interests, and abilities.

Lisa’s dreams didn’t end there, though, and she returned to Bay Path to earn her master’s in Early Childhood Education.  She loved the cohort aspect of the program where she could learn by seeing and hearing the perspectives of her classmates.  She explained that, “Bay Path attracted good students and individuals with different mindsets and perspectives. We, as students in a cohort, helped each other out and learned from each other. We traded off resources.”    

Lisa encourages any prospective student considering a Bay Path undergraduate or graduate program to pursue their educational goals.  She admits, “It can seem scary and entering a degree program can be overwhelming, but Bay Path gives you the tool set to accomplish everything you need and earn that degree in no time.”

Last year Lisa finished her student teaching in a first-grade classroom, where she promoted social development and treated each student fairly and respectfully.  By creating a learning environment that promoted learning, reflected diversity, and encouraged productive interactions amongst students, student achievement was optimized. Now that she’s finished her master’s program, Lisa is currently working at Brimfield Elementary as a co-teacher in their STARS room (a behavior type classroom) where she applies her energy, enthusiasm, and upbeat personality to teaching her students.

In the future, Lisa has dreams of becoming a reading specialist one day and earing her licensure.  She might even return to Bay Path for another degree.