Wendy Stokesbary & Janis Mendenhall

REACHing Out to Students and the Community

Janis Mendenhall (left) and Wendy Stokesbary, proud graduates of the College’s Rehabilitation Counseling program, have returned to their alma mater to help other students achieve their college ambitions as well.

Mendenhall (MA ‘89) and Stokesbary (MA ‘91) are on the REACH staff. The new program, an acronym for Realizing Educational and Career Hopes, empowers young adults with multiple learning and cognitive disabilities to attend college and become independent, engaged members of their communities. The 18 students who enrolled in this inaugural year of the program will earn two-year certificates.

Mendenhall has 19 years’ experience providing vocational services to people with disabilities, including starting and running her own for-profit agency. She is now the career development coordinator for REACH. Stokesbary spent 16 years working in a variety of settings, including a rehabilitation center for persons with visual impairments in Colorado, and the Abbe Center for Community Mental Health in Cedar Rapids. She now serves as community life coordinator for REACH.

Both alumnae say it was exciting to come home to the College of Education and join the REACH team.“The program intrigued me,” Mendenhall said. “It is unusual and cutting edge.”“It feels much like a circle being drawn,” Stokesbary said. “This is where I got my professional start in working with people with disabilities. So to be able to return and apply what I’ve learned in this setting is an amazing opportunity.” Mendenhall said she’s even experienced some déjà vu. “We’re collaborating with faculty members who taught me. The students are living in Stanley Hall, on the same floor that I spent two years living,” she said.

Mendenhall’s new job responsibilities include creating a career development curriculum as well as coordinating internships each student participates in during their two years on campus. She said watching the students improve over this first year has been “phenomenal.”“I’ve seen them grow from when they did their initial interview to reach this point where they can comfortably stand in front of their peers,” she said. “The best part of my job is interacting with students and seeing the light bulb go on for them.”

Stokesbary is responsible for helping the students connect with their new community and develop interpersonal, self-care, and independent living skills, as well as personal advocacy and diversity awareness. She said she loves introducing the students to all that Iowa City has to offer. “I try to capture the spirit for students so they understand how lucky we all are to be in such a beautiful place,” she said. “It’s satisfying and fun for me to turn the students on to the history, the flavor, and the culture of Iowa City.”

Stokesbary said she is impressed with how hard the REACH students are working.
“They want to prove themselves for all the reasons every other college student does—they want a good career. They want an independent life,” she said.

Jo Hendrickson, interim program director for REACH, said she’s thrilled Mendenhall and Stokesbary found their way back to the College of Education. “Both have extensive multidisciplinary and multiagency community experiences,” she said, “both serve as teachers, advisors, mentors, and community liaisons, and each brings unique talents and capabilities to the REACH team.”