Newspapers / The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.) / April 9, 2004, edition 1 / Page 8
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PAGE 8 WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM Kim Sellickthe heart of the Academic Skills Center Charles Haslam Associate Editor Her official job title is Alternative Learning Specialist but to all the people she has touched, Kim Sellick is much more: spiritual advisor, crisis counselor, sur rogate mother, fashion consultant, psychotherapist, culinary mastermind, tax attorney and friend. "Kim's position requires her to create order out of chaos, and she does so with grace and humor," said Doug Smith, a colleague in the Academic Skills Center. "We can be grateful for that." "For years this campus badly need ed a specialist in learning disabilities," ASC director Sue Keith said "Having such a person on site has made a tremendous difference. Now in her third year, Kim Sellick has brought a lot of energy and insight into the initia tive of gaining equal access for stu dents who learn differently. Her direct approach is refreshing," Sellick first heard about the position from IT&S director Leah Kraus, who saw the ad and called Sellick to tell her about the job opening. Sellick was also in the same singing group as Keith and asked her about applying. "I didn't apply with the intention of getting the job," Sellick said. "I did it mainly to update my vita and to go through the interview process. I was thrilled to get the job and decided it was a door opening for me and that perhaps I should walk through it ...so here I am." As the Alternative Learning Specialist, Sellick reads and evaluates documentation for alternative learners such ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, and Asperger's Syndrome. She sits on several committees, tutors students in learning strategies, time management and reading strate gies. assists students and advisors in choosing a balanced course load for alternative learners, teaches an alter native learning strategies class, inter views prospective L.D. students and educates and works with faculty on L.D. issues. "She has an ebullient spirit at the ASC," English instructor Carol Hoppe said. FEATURES "Of all the places I've been around, I haven't seen anyone who cares so much for her students," Dallas Britt, a friend, said. "She cares for them as if they were her own children." One of Sellick's major accomplish ments at Guilford has been writing a legal policy regarding LD students and alternative learners. When I was hired," Sellick said, " Guilford had no official ADA policy. Last summer we were able to put a policy into place." Sellick's warm motherly nature has led to very close relationships with her students. "They don't call me 'mom' for noth ing," she said. "From what I have seen, she is willing to go the extra mile to help a student in need," junior Jessamyn Bean said. "I'm always surprised at how often she takes peo ple in and selflessly gives her time and resources." "Kim has been an advisor and a friend," Junior John McLean said. "She has succeeded in helping me multiple times where all other advisors have failed." However, the learning process between Sellick and her students is not just a one-way street. One learning difference which captivates Sellick is Asperger's Syndrome. "I've had some fascinating conver sations with people who have Asperger's Syndrome. It's like getting a glimpse into somebody else's mind and seeing how it works," Sellick said, recalling a particular student who explained to her how his mind worked differently from hers. A person with Asperger's demon strates a variety of characteristics including awkwardness in social situa tions and not catching on to social cues. They have difficulty coping with change and a specific subject often preoccupies their mind such as flags of the world. They are overly sensitive to tastes, sights, sounds and smells. When we hear the word dog, we think of a dog. When a person with Explore an vv mm fSBBtBUbt 'A ' This summer, go beyond the ordinary. Explore something new in a new kind of place - Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Oaytona Take your pick from our special six-week "Summer 8 package ol courses - "Air. Space, and Beyond," 'Design with a Human Factors Mind," and "Glass Flight-Deck Crew Procedures " You can also earn college credits. Check with your academic advisor. Air, Space, and Beyond Leam how they keep all those planes flying safety and what's being planned for travel in space. Choose from among tour courses: • Air Traffic Management: Find out how air tralfic control specialists sitting in an airport tower manage hundreds of flights a day. (3 credits) • Meteorology I: Go with meteorologists on a journey into the atmosphere, clouds, precipita tion. storms, and the intricate balance of energy, vapor, and wind. (3 credits) • Intro to Avionics: Learn about the global positioning system, satelite communications, and the communlcafioivrvavigatiorvsurvetllance avionics found on airplanes and spacecraft. {3 credits) •Planetary & Space Exploration: Get a fascinating glimpse into the past, present and future of planetary and space exploration and what you can do to be part of it. (3 credits) Design with a Human Factors Mind Human factors professionals study the ways people interact with loots and systems in their environ ment. With this information they create ergonomic. human-centered designs that are safe and effi cient. Embry-Riddle's prestigious bachelor's degree program in human (actors is one of only a lew in the nation. In this course - ideal for upper-level psychology majors - learn the basics, methods, and models of human factors. Then try your hand al two actual test-and-design exercises - redesigning a product to improve its ergonomic and human factors elements and testing different display options for an aircraft flight instrument panel. 6 credits), Glass Right-Deck Crew Procedures Yes, fight crews in a modem transport iet must know how to operate the latest glass-screen instru ments. but they also must master a skill that predates manned flight - teamwork. This course is about how a modern flight crew works together, with a focus on the transition of a professionally qualified pilot to an air carrier's flight team. Study the theory and principles of autopi lot and fight management systems, and then apply what you've learned. Gain an understanding of the organizational behavior, interpersonal skills, and critical behavioral dynamics of professional flight crews. The course includes ground training and 20 hours In a Canadair regional jet flight simulator. U.S. citizens must show proof of their citizenship to register. (6 credits) villi/ June 22, 23: Orientation/registration v\\ Vftl iJ/ / June 24: Classes start y Aug. 9: Final exams Tuition: $778.50 per credit hour | - Fees: $215 J#* ("Human Factors:" add $230 lab fee; - m£* Js* •Crew Procedures:*add $3,500 simulator fee) TUT Ctt-caeqpMS meal planet alx? available, on-cw|3u housing maty toe available. CM ftC*. Apply at www.erau.edu/summer or call 1-800-862-2416. Seacft e ff f^ l l^^3MsS VOrSrty * Clyde Morris Blvd. • APRIL 9, 2004 GREENSBORO, NC Asperger's hears "dog," their mind flips through every image of a dog they've ever seen. "Where you get the snapshot, I get the film," Sellick's student said. For Sellick, every day brings chal lenges like this. Though she has only been at Guilford for three years, Sellick has touched countless lives with her warm heart and cheery disposition. Sellick is the mother of two children, Austin (10) and Paisley (8). In her free time, she bakes and sells cakes out of her house and performs in acting and musical productions.
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
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April 9, 2004, edition 1
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