Lighthouse Autism Center Staff Spotlight: Iriyale

Iriyale’s  Lighthouse Autism Center Journey

Iriyale joined Lighthouse Autism Center on May 16, 2022, and currently serves as an RBT Trainer after previously working as a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT). She holds a degree in Health Sciences from IUPUI (now IU Indianapolis), along with minors in Health Psychology and Nutrition. In her personal life, Iriyale enjoys reading, watching nature documentaries, and spending quality time playing board and card games with friends and family.

What made you decide to apply to Lighthouse?

Before starting at LAC, my background mostly revolved around the medical field and working my way to becoming a physician. After the pandemic, I wanted to try something different and out of my comfort zone. I’m glad I took the leap and joined the team because I’ve fallen in love with the field. I am working towards furthering my career by getting my Master’s in ABA and becoming a BCBA one day! 

What is your favorite part of working at Lighthouse Autism Center?

I love watching my learners grow and develop into the bright little humans that they are. There are no words to describe the feeling when a learner correctly responds to an behavior queue that we’ve been working on for a long period of time. I’m more excited about it than the learner is! 

How would you describe your experience working for Lighthouse?

During my time at Lighthouse, I’ve been gifted the opportunity to grow alongside my learners. I learned as much as they did along my journey with each kid I’ve had. My greatest passion in life is to make an impact on people and their lives. Since the day I started at LAC, I could feel how much of an impact I was making on the lives of the children in my care. Being a part of the reason why kids can make eye contact with others, vocalize their wants/needs, tolerate when things don’t go their way, and so many other examples are the reasons why I continue to show up every day.  

Do you have a favorite memory from your time here?

My favorite memory is when I transitioned one of my first learners into school. I remember how confident and comfortable he appeared on his first day at school. The first couple of days he wanted to play with me until I encouraged him to play with some of his classmates. As we neared the end of my time at the school, he slowly started to engage with me less and gain so much more confidence in the classroom and with peers. On my last day of school, he gave me this beautiful piece of artwork he made with a message that said, “thank you Iriyale, I will miss you” and gave me the biggest hug. I felt so proud to be a part of his journey and have had the opportunity to be a part of his time at Lighthouse. 

What advice you would like to share for those interested in a career at Lighthouse Autism Center?

You won’t know unless you try it! Lighthouse Autism Center is the place for you if you enjoy having fun and making a positive impact on the children and families within the company!