Alumni Feature

Kimberly Lewis, School Psychology 2016

by Aubi Moon

It is often said that the most rewarding careers are the ones in which you get the chance to make a difference in someone’s life. For Kimberly Lewis, the decision to become a school psychologist stemmed from her drive to be at the forefront of helping others.

Lewis is a two-time Idaho State University College of Education graduate from the master’s in human exceptionality program and education specialist in school psychology program. She currently works as a certified school psychologist for the Pocatello/ Chubbuck School District 25 (PCSD25), employed for the last four years.

After earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Idaho, Lewis raised her five children as a stay-at-home mom until she decided she wanted to further her education at ISU. Lewis learned that the College of Education’s School Psychology program provided the flexibility that fit well into her schedule as a busy mom.

Once in the program, Lewis gained a wide variety of skills, including cognitive assessment testing, neuropsychology, behavioral planning and intervention, and crisis management. Field experiences also advanced Lewis’s knowledge as she completed a practicum and then a 1200-hour internship working in Eastern Idaho school districts, including American Falls and Snake River. As Lewis said, “I feel like the program prepared me very well to work with people.”

Lewis has stayed very busy working as a full-time school psychologist since her 2016 graduation. She currently assists approximately 80 students across three elementary schools within PCSD25. Her primary role is providing special education and cognitive testing, reporting, and evaluation.

Lewis notes that while there are practical reasons she stays in school psychology, such as the schedule and state benefits, she thoroughly loves the job itself. “I help students every day change their mindset from thinking they are stupid to understanding that they just learn differently,” said Lewis. “I love being able to problem solve and figure out students’ learning disabilities and ways we can help them. We know that their disability won’t go away; however, they can learn coping strategies to manage their learning gap.”

Lewis is incredibly grateful for the opportunities that ISU has provided her. While her mission is to help others, she does believe there is a general misunderstanding as to what school psychologists do or can do in schools. She hopes P-12 schools and outside agencies can better collaborate in the future and share resources. She is also mindful of the growing mental health care shortage in Idaho and sees the great need to hire additional school psychologists to provide continued and free support to P-12 students.