Focus Collegiate Welcomes Student Skills Specialist Shawna Graichen to its Summer Cohort

We are pleased to welcome Shawna Graichen to Summer Cohort, our four-week college-readiness experience July 18-August 15. As Student Skills Specialists, Shawna’s focus is student self-care emphasizing essential life skills in a college setting. She will provide daily direct support to Focus Collegiate students in the areas of organizational and life-skills building based on individual strengths and student-defined goals.

Shawna is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist who after gaining her Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from Simmons University discovered her preference for working with people over working with cells. She put her degree and her preference to work as Vocational Director and Transition Coordinator at the Ivy Street School in Brookline, Massachusetts where she supports young adults with neurological challenges.

She is passionate about supporting individuals in becoming self-determined agents of their own lives as they transition from adolescence into young adult life in the areas of community living, gainful employment, and post-secondary education.

Shawna is also passionate about food. We’re delighted that she will be working with students on this most important, often ignored, aspect of self-care. A home chef who dedicates hours each evening to culinary pursuits, she is thrilled to bring her talents to the Summer Cohort table. Underscoring nutrition and a balanced diet, she will be incorporating budgeting, planning, shopping, and cooking into our essential life skills activities.

Shawna says, “I’ll work with individuals to identify an evening meal they’d like to prepare for the group each week. Together we’ll plan, shop, prepare, and serve it. These meals can create a deeper sense of community. The social connections we make around food give us an opportunity to develop interpersonal skills in a less structured setting. It doesn’t have to be so academic. In meal planning and cooking, students have fun as they build skills and take pride in the healthy meals they co-create.”

Shawna has more than 8 years of experience supporting young adults with Neurodevelopmental, Neurological, and Behavioral Health needs in community-based, home-based, and private school settings.

If you are interested in our Summer Cohort, please contact us immediately. We may be able to fit you in.