b'WILLIAM JAMES COLLEGE 17Through the students experiences with different partners, our partner organizations become a part of the classroom education. Without these experiences, it would take a student years over the course of their career to learn what they can be exposed to over the course of a semester. Dr. Ronald Lee, Director, GraduatePrograms in Applied Behavior AnalysisDr. Ronald Lee and Vanessa Benitez CisnerosNow, halfway through the six-semester, 24-monthwith William James has been extraordinary,online program, Cisneros has felt the impact of theadding that the College supports its students in partnership on her educational journey. such a way that PBS is able to provide a robust and Im always putting the classroom concepts and themeaningful applied experience to these trainees. field experience together, so I understand that muchThe trainees come to our team knowledgeable and more. It just puts it all together for me, Cisneros said.prepared to transfer their classroom learning toDr. Ronald Lee, director of the ABA program,their supervision experience. agrees, calling the partnerships critical to studentAs Cisneros looks back, she is amazed at howsuccess in the program. much she has changed in such a short time. She He added, As a field largely devoted to helpingrecalls feeling emotional after her recent final session people with a wide range of needs, the experiencewith a child she first began working with when she that our partners provide gives students the chancestarted at PBS. to make contact with everything that comes with theRemembering him a year ago, and seeing the successes of helping a child and their family as wellprogress hes made, makes everything worth it, as the frustrations that come with the challenges andCisneros said. Knowing I helped improve his obstacles that arise.behavioral challenges makes all the difficultEach student who comes to the ABA programmoments worth it.from these partner organizations brings a differentCisneros is no longer stuck, and she knows what background and range of experiences into she wants to do after she graduates later this year. classroom discussions.After becoming a BCBA, she hopes to work in a Through the students experiences with differentclassroom setting to help ensure children diagnosed partners, our partner organizations become a part ofwith autism have the same opportunities as the classroom education, explained Lee. Withoutneurotypical students. these experiences, it would take a student years overI would love to be the one creating intervention the course of their career to learn what they can beplans for these children to help improve their lives exposed to over the course of a semester. and allow them to be understood and seen like Laurie Bonavita, regional clinical trainingeveryone else, Cisneros said. coordinator for PBS, shared that the partnership'