Jacob Hines has worked closely with individuals with disabilities for years, volunteering at the Special Olympics in addition to several special education classrooms in his hometown. A Special Education-General Curriculum major, Hines hopes to turn his passion into a career as a special education teacher.

“I have always admired the passion and innocence of individuals with disabilities and I know that being able to work with them on a daily basis will be the biggest blessing of my life,” said Hines. 

“I will never go to work and hate my job,” he added.

Hines said he is incredibly thankful to Appalachian’s Reich College of Education for his experience, mentioning the brilliant minds of the “best education professors in the country” as an excellent resource for future students.

He is opting to stay at Appalachian to earn a master’s degree through the School of Graduate Studies’ Accelerated Admission program, sometimes called 4+1. The program allows him to enroll in graduate classes during his senior year so he can finish a master’s degree in just one extra year – receiving what Hines describes as “the best education imaginable.”