Therapy room at Lighthouse Autism Center with toys on a table with blue chairs and book shelves above

WMU Psychology Student Moves to South Bend, IN for Her Career – then Her Career Moves back to Kalamazoo

Natalie Donkersloot celebrating 2 years at Lighthouse Autism Center with Executive Director Gregg Maggioli and getting enrolled into the employee stock ownership plan.
Natalie Donkersloot celebrating 2 years at Lighthouse Autism Center with Executive Director Gregg Maggioli.

When Natalie Donkersloot was an undergrad psych student at WMU, she didn’t know that one day she would be working with children with autism. In fact, Natalie thought she would end up in an organizational behavior management or industrial organizational position in a large company. That all changed when she took a class on applied behavior analysis(ABA).

When I was an undergrad, I wasn’t entirely sure about what I wanted to do in psychology. So I decided to try the autism practicum. I took one of Dr. Malott’s classes, Introduction to the Concepts and Principles of Behavior Analysis, and fell in love!

After getting her undergraduate degree, she began to work towards her Master’s by serving as a tutor at a special education school known as Woodsedge Learning Center. While working at Woodsedge, she worked with children with autism. Natalie practiced applied behavior analysis(ABA) therapy, a core therapy that is used to treat autism.

When I worked at Woodsedge, I saw the difference that the therapy could make in the kids. I loved it. I loved the difference that it could make in just one semester.

As Natalie Donkersloot was finishing her Master’s of Arts in Applied Behavior Analysis, she knew she wanted to continue to work with children doing ABA therapy. That’s when she met Gregg Maggioli, the founder of Lighthouse Autism Center.

I went to a WMU Job Fair and Lighthouse had a booth. That’s where I met Gregg. After our meeting, he offered me a job to start in May once I had my degree. I accepted the position.

At the time, Lighthouse Autism Center was only located in Indiana. Natalie didn’t like leaving her community in Kalamazoo, but she knew that Lighthouse was the place for her.

If there had been an option like Lighthouse in Michigan, I would have worked up there. I liked how Gregg was a parent of a child with autism. Plus, Gregg seemed like a great businessman. The centers were well organized and clean. Most centers aren’t like that.

After being in Indiana for awhile, Natalie was missing Kalamazoo more and more.

I was in Indiana for two and a half years and at the beginning I was open to living there. I gave it a chance and it just wasn’t for me. I wanted to get back up near my friends and family. My support group. I had friends from undergrad school and friends from grad school all in Kalamazoo. I basically spent every weekend driving up to Kalamazoo because that was where my friends were.

When Gregg decided to open up a therapy center in Portage, Michigan, Natalie couldn’t have been more excited.

It was perfect. I always wanted to move back to Michigan, but I really wanted to stay with Lighthouse. I asked for the opportunity to work at the Portage center almost as soon as I heard about it.

Natalie says that the therapy center is a HUGE opportunity for WMU students.

They have huge opportunity for growth and advancement. I started out as a junior program manager, got promoted to a program manager and now I am a senior program manager!

Lighthouse Autism Center isn’t just for Master’s of Arts in Applied Behavior Analysis, like Natalie. Lighthouse also needs students with undergraduate degrees in Psychology, Education or a related field to work as ABA therapists. ABA therapists work 1 on 1 with children to implement the actual therapy program.

Natalie spends her days working with the kiddo’s at Lighthouse Autism Center and taking great pride in the work she does. She spends her evenings and weekends hanging out with her family and friends in the area. Now that Lighthouse is located in Kalamazoo, it’s the perfect set up for her.

Ready for a career where you can make a difference?

Related News

05/28/2025

2025 Autism Acceptance Scholarship Winner: Layah Clinton

Honoring a Future Mental Health Advocate from North Carolina Lighthouse Autism Center is proud to announce Layah Clinton as the winner of the 2025 Autism Acceptance Scholarship. A dedicated psychology major at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Layah embodies a passion for mental health advocacy and a strong commitment to creating lasting change […]

Read more

05/15/2025

Lighthouse Autism Center Opens New Center in Hobart, Indiana!

ABA Therapy Center is Now Open in Hobart, Indiana Lighthouse Autism Center (LAC) is excited to announce the opening of a new center in Hobart, Indiana, on May 14, 2025. This marks another important milestone in our continued expansion, which now spans multiple states and supports hundreds of families across the country. What started as […]

Read more

04/14/2025

Lighthouse Autism Center Opens New Autism Therapy Center in Lincoln Indian Village, Nebraska

Lighthouse Autism Center has opened a second center in Lincoln, Nebraska Lighthouse Autism Center (LAC) is proud to announce that our second location in Lincoln, Nebraska, is officially open! Situated in the heart of the Lincoln Indian Village neighborhood, this new center reaffirms our commitment to providing high-quality autism therapy services to children and families […]

Read more
Translate »