From Uncertain Freshman to Thriving BCBA: Melody Ornelas' Journey of Resilience and Purpose

Meet Melody Hicks , 2018 GlobalMindED student attendee. Melody shares her story and professional journey to becoming a BCBA.

When I first attended the GlobalMindED conference, I was a freshman in my undergraduate program at Colorado State University Pueblo . I had very high intentions in becoming a Registered Nurse at the time, but with the course of work, it was not the best fit for me. I had changed my undergraduate major to Sociology and continued with my degree until I graduated. Finding the perfect job can be a walk in the park for some, but for myself, it was hard to find something that felt like a perfect match. A good friend of mine mentioned that she worked in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy and persuaded me to apply. After getting hired, and completing the training process, I shortly began to love the field I was working in. I moved on to applying for my master’s degree in special education with an emphasis in ABA. In a couple short years, I was able to complete my master’s degree at 美国亚利桑那州立大学 . This has since allowed me the opportunity to move up in my field as a clinical supervisor, and soon I will be testing for my Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) certification.?

For myself, I knew I wanted to help others succeed from a young age. I am a giver and a people person. I try my best every day to understand and analyze people and do whatever it is I can to help others, even if it is as little as lending someone five dollars. It has never been an issue for me, even in a world that we live in today; where vulnerability is a hard trait to encounter and keep.?

Some of the key moments that help lead my life to where it is today, were all of the different “bumps” in the road that pushed me to keep going. During my undergraduate program, COVID-19 had hit, and I was soon diagnosed with Anxiety/Depression disorder. Two things that did not mix and led going to college very hard. In those moments, I remember being so sad, because the world had shut down…literally, and I had no idea where to go from there. The motivation was not there, but I encountered some of the most influential people/professors at that time; my family and friends included. They helped me see light into a very difficult time for everyone to encounter. I was very lucky to have such an amazing support system behind me. One of my professors at the time, had such a big influence on me, and helped me work through difficult times, especially when it came to school. Her words and kindness helped me to see light through the storm and find my motivation. When it came to my master’s degree, it was no walk in the park either, but I was again able to continue to push through and always find the small pieces of motivation that no one pays much attention to; in other words, being thankful for the small endeavors of my life, and push myself to finish those small challenges to get to the bigger prize.?

As a clinical supervisor working to help children with autism, my passion comes from what I would consider my calling. I love my job and seeing the challenges and deficits these young individuals come into center with and being able to help them, completing all the assessments, the behavior intervention plans, and continuing to work through the bad days, to see light in the good days. This job in my eyes is one of the most rewarding jobs to encounter. You are helping those gain the skills they need to be successful in their life and continue to help them work through challenges every single day.

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In my own terms, success is not just making your way up into a career or a world. Success is completing tasks, whether they are big or small. Success is taking in all the things you have accomplished and realizing that you do not have to be a CEO or manager to a big company. It is finding what works best for you and finding some sort of contentment in?your life.

Success is finding something that makes you happy and still allowing yourself to find happiness in your personal and work life; not making yourself miserable.?

GlobalMindED helped me reach my goals, by allowing me to see the stories of others who had gone through happy times and difficult times and were able to still push through and get what they wanted in the end. It helped me realize there are so many others just like myself at the time. Feeling lost and needing help to find that next step. To take that next leap, even if it seems scary, it may be the best decision you could ever make. The conference I attended all those years back, allowed me to see success and what that may look like for everyone and possibly even for myself. And here I am, seven years later, continuing to push for success, because it happens in many ways. I am so thankful to have experienced such an influential conference that helped lead me in different ways to where I am today.

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