She’s leading the Puma Pals meeting. She’s organizing another Leo Club charity project. She’s teaching a lesson in SPED. She’s raising her hand, answering another question in the back of the AP Lit class. Senior Magi Brockman is all over campus, getting involved and making a difference. Brockman took a couple minutes out of her very busy day to answer a few questions and describe just how involved she is, especially in the SPED program and service around campus.

Lindsey Harrison: When did you first get involved with the SPED program? 

Magi Brockman: I actually started in elementary school. It would just be like little things like I would walk students to classes in fourth grade Then junior high is when I got really into the teaching part of it and peer facilitating. I also did Unified Sports. That was honestly the best part of my life.

I started in just Puma Pals my freshman year and I have slowly, kind of, weaseled my way through. I became a peer facilitator my junior year and I also worked really closely with previous officers of Puma Pals. I became an officer and a peer facilitator this year, so now I run Puma Pals and I partially run the SPED class.

LH: What drives you to be so involved?

MB: It’s always come naturally, and it’s something that I’ve always thought it made sense for me to do.

I’m a bit of a realist and I think a lot of people in this world have it out for you. They’re looking out for themselves. They’re not super selfless, and people always don’t have good intentions. When you walk into a SPED class, I can promise that there’s not gonna be one student in there that’s not thinking about what’s best for you. There’s no manipulation. There’s no trying to take advantage of you. It’s just pure; it’s a pure environment, and I love being in it.

It has always felt right, and it always felt like a place where I’m supposed to be. I feel connected, especially to Perry’s SPED program. It’s something that’s so beautiful once you take the time to get to know it.

You get to sit there with someone that is just such a pure soul and has such genuine intentions and you get to make their day. That’s something that is just so fulfilling and so rewarding to see.

LH: Beyond Puma Pals and peer facilitating, what else are you involved in?

MB: I’m in NHS. I’m the Leo Club president. I’m in UNICEF. I used to be in dance, and I take a couple of AP courses.

Outside of school I work for the City of Chandler. I work specifically in the therapeutics department, which is a job where you get to work with people with special needs, especially adults with special needs, and you take them out. We do socials, sports, parties, and right now I’m doing swim for the Special Olympics. It’s just giving people on the spectrum that have disabilities just something where they can make connections with people that are also disabled and also make connections with neurotypicals like me.

LH: How do you plan on continuing your involvement in the future?

MB: I’m planning to go to school for this. Specifically, my major is psychology; that is concentrated in applied behavioral analysis, which is autism focused counseling. I’ll be able to provide a diagnosis but also coping mechanisms and ways to have therapy for this very misunderstood thing.

LH: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

MB: SPED is very misunderstood, and it doesn’t deserve to be. So if you just take the time to understand it, it can be a beautiful thing.