{"id":118,"date":"2016-05-18T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-05-18T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/?p=118"},"modified":"2024-04-02T15:18:05","modified_gmt":"2024-04-02T22:18:05","slug":"kathryn-cowsert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/kathryn-cowsert\/","title":{"rendered":"HDFS Ecampus student launches consulting business to help people with special needs find jobs"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Kathryn<\/div>\n

Kathryn Cowsert launched her business, Meraki Consulting, while enrolled in the human development and family sciences program online through OSU Ecampus. \u201cSome of the individuals I work with had never had a job,\u201d she says. \u201cI get to tell them that not only can they get a job, I will help with each step along the way to ensure they are set up for success.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

By Heather Turner<\/a><\/em> \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/a>
\nMay 18, 2016<\/em><\/p>\n

Kathryn Cowsert has it all: a loving husband she recently married, a thriving consulting business and soon an Oregon State University degree in hand.<\/p>\n

But Kathryn prefers not to focus on herself and instead shine the light on those she helps.<\/p>\n

Raised to serve others, Kathryn sets aside $10 a month to spend on a grocery store gift card that she hands to the first person she passes on her way out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI imagine it makes that person\u2019s day better or that they can bring home dinner that night,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a testament to her values, and just the tip of the iceberg of what she does for others.<\/p>\n

Online student turned entrepreneur<\/h3>\n

While studying human development and family sciences<\/a> (HDFS) online through Oregon State Ecampus, Kathryn launched her own business, Meraki Consulting<\/a>, in spring 2015. She provides job services to individuals with barriers to employment, particularly those with special needs.<\/p>\n

Through a partnership with Linn, Benton and Lane counties, as well as with the State of Oregon Department of Human Services Vocational Rehabilitation program,<\/a> Kathryn connects with employers and assists people with special needs as they obtain and maintain a job that matches their skills, abilities and interests.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the individuals I work with had never had a job,\u201d she says. \u201cI get to tell them that not only can they get a job, I will help with each step along the way to ensure they are set up for success.\u201d
\n<\/p>\n

\n
\"Kathryn\"Play\"<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

Watch this video to learn more about Kathryn, her OSU Ecampus experience and her job.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

She lends her helping hand from the beginning and until her clients are comfortable on their own, offering services such as assessment, community work experience and job placement. She helps write r\u00e9sum\u00e9s and cover letters, sets up \u2013 and sits in on \u2013 interviews with potential employers, and provides on-the-job training and support for the first 90 days of employment.<\/p>\n

One of her clients went from spending a few years volunteering in a Corvallis thrift shop to an official employee \u2013 her first paid position \u2013 thanks to Kathryn\u2019s help.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was always nervous to actually ask for a job there,\u201d says Shelby, Kathryn\u2019s client. \u201cWhen I talked with Kathryn about what my situation was, she was extremely friendly and super nice about it and I felt very comfortable. She helped with my r\u00e9sum\u00e9 and was able to get me into a meeting at the main office and set up a job interview, and I got the job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now working in customer service, Shelby says Kathryn provided her with a sense of confidence she previously did not possess.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe helped me push to get a job because I\u2019m not really social and I get nervous really easily, and she helped give me that little push that I needed to get my life together,\u201d Shelby says. \u201cI\u2019m just super positive and so outgoing now. I see my future as so much brighter now.\u201d<\/p>\n

“<\/span>Everybody deserves an equal opportunity to have a job and to be able to interact with their peers and community members.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In just over a year, Kathryn has helped more than 20 people in the Willamette Valley obtain jobs, ranging from a Little League baseball umpire to a lifeguard, and an administrative assistant to a baker.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody deserves an equal opportunity to have a job and to be able to interact with their peers and community members,\u201d she says. \u201cFor the first time, they get to see that there are no limitations for them and their skills. It\u2019s so inspiring to watch that light go off in their eyes. I love my job.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there is a restaurant out there that needs someone to roll silverware for an hour a day, I have a person for you. If you need someone to file papers for four hours once a week, I have an individual for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her clients range in age from 18 to 70 and have employment barriers due to various reasons including, but not limited to, intellectual or developmental disabilities, such as being wheelchair-bound, visually or hearing impaired, living with cerebral\u00a0palsy or using the assistance of a service animal.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you do have special needs, people like her are there to help you,\u201d says one of Kathryn\u2019s clients, who wishes to remain anonymous. \u201cShe was great. She gave me a lot of confidence and helped me get a job.\u201d<\/p>\n

She not only serves her clients, but also community businesses.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey get a fully trained individual who gets support by having me on-site, and it takes the pressure off of having to supervise an individual,\u201d she says. \u201cI get to experience the job alongside them. I\u2019m there to catch the small mistakes and provide another level of communication between employers and clients. I get to wear a bunch of different hats.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once in need, now helping others in need<\/h3>\n

But Kathryn will be the first to admit her current success didn\u2019t come easily, and she was once the one who needed guidance.<\/p>\n

She had previously been through some ups and many downs: A move caused her to lose out on in-state tuition, then she learned her community college credits would no longer transfer to where she originally wanted to attend college in California, and another move to Eugene resulted in her obtaining a job she \u201creally disliked.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then, one gloomy day during her hourlong commute to work in Portland at a time when she was feeling particularly sorry for herself, she got a sign \u2013 in the form of a bus advertisement for Oregon State Ecampus online degrees.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I saw the advertisement, I looked into it and found that OSU had a great program, my diploma would not specify that it was online, I would be able to work and go to school full time and I could walk at the end with the rest of my class,\u201d she says. \u201cI was sold.\u201d<\/p>\n

“<\/span>I\u2019d just like to pay it forward and help other people achieve their goals.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n
\"Kathryn<\/div>\n

\u201cFor the first time, they get to see that there are no limitations for them and their skills,\u201d Kathryn says. \u201cIt\u2019s so inspiring to watch that light go off in their eyes. I love my job.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

She applied that week and was accepted into the HDFS program through Oregon State Ecampus, a national leader in online education.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t always easy for Kathryn. She initially struggled with balancing work and school and relied heavily on the support of her academic advisor.<\/p>\n

\u201cKathryn went from being someone unsure if she would even complete her degree to a self-assured woman who\u2019s not afraid to live her life on her own terms,\u201d says College of Health Academic Advisor Josie Miranda. \u201cI\u2019m really proud of her and excited about her future.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t be more thankful for the way Josie saw me as a person and a student, and helped keep me on track to fulfill my goals,\u201d Kathryn says.<\/p>\n

Kathryn soon found that learning online actually benefitted her.<\/p>\n

\u201cEcampus forced me to learn the material and engage and interact,\u201d she says. \u201cIf you do not do the work and know the material each week, it is pretty obvious in an online class.\u201d<\/p>\n

With her newfound academic confidence, Kathryn landed an entry-level position in job development, where she discovered her passion of helping others accomplish their dreams.<\/p>\n

Once that company moved and she could no longer commute, Kathryn took it as another sign \u2013 and launched her business. The rest is history.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t do it alone and I needed help, and I\u2019d just like to pay it forward and help other people achieve their goals,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Kathryn plans on walking with her classmates \u2013 most of whom she has yet to meet in person \u2013 during OSU\u2019s commencement ceremony on June 11 at Reser Stadium.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust like with my clients, Oregon State University provided me with the tools and abilities, and I had to come in with the willpower to make my dreams happen,\u201d she says. \u201cSo that\u2019s hopefully what I can provide to my clients. I give them the tools, I give them the confidence and the support, and then I give them a little push and hopefully it leads to them being successful.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been a long road, but my experience at OSU has been so positive and I am so grateful that I saw that bus on that rainy day in Portland.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/span> 6<\/span> minute read<\/span><\/span>\u201cSome of the individuals I work with had never had a job,\u201d says HDFS alumna Kathryn Cowsert. \u201cI get to tell them that not only can they get a job, I will help with each step along the way to ensure they are set up for success.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":126,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[673],"tags":[640,64],"class_list":["post-118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-health-and-human-science","tag-human-development-and-family-sciences"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Kathryn-Cowsert-1.jpg?fit=5760%2C3840&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BNSE-1U","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":121,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/graduation-2016\/","url_meta":{"origin":118,"position":0},"title":"Career success a theme among OSU’s record number of online graduates","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"June 8, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"A record 692 Oregon State distance students will graduate Saturday after completing degree requirements online with OSU Ecampus. 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