Katy Shumaker

Hello,

My name is Katy Shumaker and it is my honor to be involved in C.A.U.S.E.  Please, allow me to introduce myself.

I grew up in a small town in Canada and have fond memories of ice skating, building snowmen, and playing outside until our parents called us in for dinner.  After having moved to California from Canada in 1980, I lived in La Habra and attended Charles G. Emery Elementary, then McCumber Jr. High, and later,  I graduated from Sunny Hills High School.  After high school, I attended Orange Coast College in Huntington Beach and ultimately graduated from Cypress College with an Associate's of Arts in business management.  Fast forward to 2008, I made the decision to return to school and eventually earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology.

I got married in 1991 to my high school sweetheart and we are the proud parents of four amazing children.  We moved to Whittier in 1999 and all my children attended school in the East Whittier City School District starting at Laurel Elementary School, then East Whittier Middle School, and then transitioning to the Whittier Union High School District where each of them graduated from California High School.  Most of my work until this point had been in the retail sector until my youngest, began kindergarten.  I began as a substitute instructional assistant, then, in January of 2005, I was hired as a permanent Instructional Assistant at La Colima Elementary School.  Since then, I’ve been at several different schools and been in different classroom situations, from which I learned a great many things from some amazing teachers and other instructional assistants. 

Special Education teachers, their support staff, parents, and siblings are the foundation for the success of the extraordinary people which they represent, each providing a vital role in their lives.  C.A.U.S.E recognizes this and it my dream that we may collaborate to support those who support, assist those who may need us, and ultimately create a unified collection of individuals and organizations that will be a source of encouragement and support the beautiful and unique individuals who will benefit from all that we will do. 

Thank you,

Katy