{"id":11759,"date":"2025-01-06T09:42:14","date_gmt":"2025-01-06T15:42:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=11759"},"modified":"2025-01-06T09:42:14","modified_gmt":"2025-01-06T15:42:14","slug":"balancing-act-december-graduate-verena-hayes-on-balancing-education-and-motherhood","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/balancing-act-december-graduate-verena-hayes-on-balancing-education-and-motherhood\/","title":{"rendered":"Balancing act: December graduate Verena Hayes on balancing education and motherhood"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Thanks to her strong support system, nontraditional student Verena Hayes graduates with a dual certification in elementary\/middle education and special education \u2014 all while balancing being a full-time mom.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With determination and a strong support network, Verena Hayes is proving that no dream is out of reach.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This December, Hayes will graduate with dual certification in elementary\/middle education and special education. Her journey as a nontraditional student, full-time mom, student teacher<\/span>,\u00a0and active member of campus organizations has been marked by her passion for the profession and an unyielding commitment to her goals.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Hayes was inspired to pursue her career after being surrounded by a family of mental health professionals.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\u201cUltimately, the main thing that has truly helped me manage being a student, mom, participant in Kappa Delta Pi and student teacher has been leaning on my support system,\u201d Hayes explains.<\/span><\/p>\n

From coordinating childcare to professors who welcomed her son to class, Hayes says the encouragement of her community has been instrumental in balancing the demands of her busy life.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI would not have been able to make it through the last four and a half years without the support of my family, friends, professors, classmates and cooperating teachers,\u201d Hayes shares.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Growing up in a family of mental health professionals and gaining experience at Rogers Behavioral Health, Hayes saw firsthand how focusing on students\u2019 mental health can lead to academic success.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had the privilege of seeing how prioritizing mental health can make academics fall into place,\u201d Hayes says.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Through UWL\u2019s education program, Hayes has honed her ability to support diverse student needs.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Hayes currently student teaches in a kindergarten classroom at Eagle Bluff Elementary.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\u201cThe program has helped me develop invaluable skills, from managing the demands of a diverse classroom to advocating for students and promoting equity in education,\u201d Hayes explains. \u201cI feel prepared to make a meaningful impact and hopeful that I can inspire students to reach their full potential.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

During her current student teaching placement at Eagle Bluff Elementary as a special education cross-categorical teacher, Hayes finds joy in watching her students grow.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe most rewarding aspect of student teaching has been seeing my students\u2019 progress,\u201d Hayes shares. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing to see their excitement when something clicks or when they realize their hard work has paid off.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For other nontraditional students balancing education with life\u2019s challenges, Hayes offers encouragement.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy No. 1 piece of advice is to find your people,\u201d she says. \u201cHaving a support system is crucial.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With her December graduation on the horizon, Hayes is proof that with determination and the right people by your side, no challenge is insurmountable.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Written by UW-La Crosse<\/p>\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/www.uwlax.edu\/news\/posts\/balancing-act-2\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With determination and a strong support network, Verena Hayes is proving that no dream is out of reach.\u00a0\u00a0 This December, Hayes will graduate with dual certification in elementary\/middle education and special education. Her journey as a nontraditional student, full-time mom, student teacher,\u00a0and active member of campus organizations has been marked by her passion for the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":11761,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[104],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-11759","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-la-crosse"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/11759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11759"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=11759"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=11759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}