Nicole M. Homerin '09

Assistant Preschool Teacher
The Campus School at Boston College
January 2018

In September, Nicole M. Homerin ’09 accepted a position as an assistant preschool teacher at The Campus School at Boston College. In conjunction with the Lynch School of Education at Boston College, The Campus School serves children ages 3–22 with multiple disabilities.

In addition to her work as an assistant preschool teacher, Homerin is earning her master's degree in teaching severe special needs and focusing on educating students with autism spectrum disorders and deafblindness. She currently serves as a behavior support specialist in the Adaptive Dance Program at The Boston Ballet and continues to teach Adaptive Dance at Perkins School for the Blind and work in its outreach program, which provides weekend programming for visually impaired New England public school students.

As a student at Loyola, Homerin was a member of the Dumbach Scholars Honors Program, the Latin Team, the yearbook and the National Honors Society. It was her experience with Life! Be in It! that provided her with a new perspective and a life’s purpose. “Life! Be in It! was integral to introducing me to different underserved populations in local communities and rousing a passion for making positive changes in your community because I do believe that one voice can make a difference,” she says.

Catch us up on what you've been up to since graduation.

After graduating from Loyola, I moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA. At the time, I aspired to be a pediatrician. However, after a year I realized that my passion was working with young children with special needs in the classroom setting. So I transferred to Boston University and founded a chapter of Autism Speaks U, which seeks to raise awareness about autism spectrum disorders on college campuses and in greater communities.

After I received my bachelor’s in early childhood education in 2015, I spent two years teaching in the deafblind program at Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts. Here I taught adaptive percussive dance classes to the residential students and helped lead the pilot year of the extended day program for day students in the deafblind program. For this work, I was awarded the Quality Recognition Award by the Perkins School for the Blind.

Finally, I have spent the past five summers serving as both the fine arts coordinator and the program director at Camp Paivika, a summer camp for children and adults with various special needs in the San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California.

How was your experience at Loyola formative in your path?

My experience at Loyola actually sparked my passion in special education. During freshman year, I joined Life! Be in It! My first volunteer placement was Pathways Center for Children in Glenview, which provides outpatient therapy services. I instantly fell in love and eventually worked there junior and senior year as a receptionist.

Loyola’s motto Women and Men for Others resonates in my work every day. Many of my students are nonverbal and are still working on developing communication systems. I see one of my roles as making sure they have a voice in their world. I also see one of my roles as educating those around me about increasing accessibility in all areas of life including recreation and leisure, independent living and educational opportunities for individuals with special needs.

Who inspired you at Loyola?

Though I can't name everyone, I was greatly impacted by the heart and passion that each one of my teachers and club moderators brought to the Loyola community. Many of my teachers at Loyola Academy had a lasting impact on my life and the way I view the world. Mr. Peter McNulty, my geometry teacher, taught me about the passion of teaching. I remember coming to class each day excited to learn because he was so invested in the material and really cared about his students’ lives. His stories interwoven into daily lessons taught me that school is not just about learning academic content but also learning about life lessons, grit, integrity and, most importantly, making mistakes because mistakes are the way we learn.

In addition, I was greatly inspired by my guidance counselor Ms. Nicole Gavigan. Ms. Gavigan demonstrated a clear passion and desire to support her students both in the classroom and in their everyday lives. Her approach to supporting the whole student struck a chord in how I approach education with my students. I strive to support the growth and development of the whole child, including academic goals, independent living skills, socialization, emotional and physical well-being and self-determination.

Any fun facts to share?

I am an Irish step dancer with Kieran Jordan Dance. I also sing in the alto section of the Metropolitan Chorale, where we recently performed Rachmaninoff's All-Night Vigil and are now preparing French repertoire in partnership with the Brookline Symphony Orchestra. I also recently achieved a personal goal by completing the Blindfold Challenge, which involved running the Boston Athletic Association’s 5K race while blindfolded and led by a guide runner using a tether. This experience helped me gain a better understanding about the challenges of participating in recreation and leisure for people with visual impairments. Learn more here.

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