Kaileigh Gaffney, Access Specialist

 

About Kaileigh

Though I am originally from the Central Coast, my parents had a wild hair and decided to move to Saudi Arabia to teach when I was five-years-old. After four years of desert living, they decided to move to Bangkok, Thailand to experience a different type of heat and culture. I lived in Thailand from 5th to 12th grade, where I fell in love with “The Land of Smiles” and became passionate about helping underrepresented populations. Upon graduating, I decided to experience the opposite weather extreme, the freezing temperatures of the Midwest and moved to Appleton, Wisconsin to attend Lawrence University where I earned my undergraduate degree in Anthropology.

After college, I finally returned to the Central Coast, with its perfect weather, and joined the AmeriCorps where I worked with homeless youth. It is this experience that led me to the field of Special Education. Upon realizing that I did not have the tools to help some of my homeless students, I decided to pursue a Master’s degree in Special Education at Cal Poly. I have worked as a Special Education Teacher for the past seven years at both the elementary and high school levels. 

I am thrilled to now have the opportunity to work in higher education as an Access Specialist. I feel honored to play a role in ensuring equitable access to education and campus life for all students and fostering an inclusive culture at Cal Poly. 

When I am not working, my 19-month-old son keeps my husband and me very busy and has turned me into quite the Hot Wheels enthusiast.