Sitting in an intern house in Guatemala, more than 2,000 miles away from home, Kaylee Russell ’’25 (Master of Special Education) called her mom, overwhelmed by the future ahead of her.
“I don’t have enough money to sustain myself,” Russell said. “How am I going to live? How am I going to do all of this?”
Her mother quickly eased her nerves, saying, “Sometimes you just need to take the next step. God is going to lead you wherever you need to go.”
Russell discovered her passion long before she crossed international borders. While attending New Palestine High School, she met one of her best friends, Nika, through the Best Buddies program. This experience opened Russell’s eyes to the challenges people with disabilities face, including how expensive care is.
This awareness inspired her to take action abroad, in a country facing greater economic challenges than the United States. Russell explained that in Guatemala, families often must pay out of pocket for services like occupational, physical, and speech therapy.
While Russell earned her master’s degree in educational leadership at Purdue, it was at the University of Indianapolis that she could fully align her career with her passion for special education. Thanks to UIndy’s ‘Education for Service’ mission, she found the framework to turn her vision into action.
“For me, service really looks like being the hands and feet of what we need to be in the world,” Russell said. “Giving back to people, finding ways that we can connect with them and help bridge gaps.”
Russell completed UIndy’s Director of Exceptional Learners program and credits specific courses for giving her a strong understanding of the financial and legal aspects of special education.
For the past two years, Russell has channeled that expertise through KY Ministries, a nonprofit that offers after-school programs designed to help students with disabilities reach their full potential. She runs it alongside her husband, Yoni, who is Guatemalan.
“I’m 100% sure that it [KY Ministries] would not have happened because he [Yoni] does so much of the background stuff, “ said Russell. “He is my biggest supporter and biggest cheerleader.”
Russell met Yoni during her first internship in Guatemala in 2019. They got married in 2022, after she moved there full-time.
Russell said she and Yoni often spoke “Spanglish,” joking that no one is ever truly fluent when learning a new language. “He really was the one who pushed my Spanish to the point where I felt comfortable,” Russell added.
The ability to communicate confidently became especially important when she went out into neighborhoods, knocking on doors and meeting families directly.
During one house visit, she encountered a low-income family with a 3-year-old son who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
“He was not walking, he was not talking,” said Russell. “He would not pick up any toys, but would push them with his feet.”
Doctors recommended therapy, but the nearest free hospital was two hours away, and private care was too expensive. The family felt hopeless.
“I think they had this notion of this diagnosis that there’s not really any hope for him,” said Russell. “He may not be independent. He may never walk. He may not ever talk.”
But after just a year and a half of physical therapy through KY Ministries, he had a complete transformation.
“He is now sitting on his own,” said Russell. “He now grabs objects. He started saying words. He’s gotten so much strength now that he pushed himself to stand in a walker.”
The joy on his family’s face nearly brought Russell to tears.
“Seeing how excited they are and seeing the growth in him,” said Russell. “He’s going to have a better quality of life because of a program that we started.”
Russell, now raising her 18-month-old daughter, Arya, said motherhood has deepened her understanding of the joy families feel when their children achieve milestones.
Between balancing coursework online at UIndy, running a non-profit and being a mother, Russell has encountered a lot of late nights. Those long days are well worth it for a new mother who is determined to be present for her child.
“I don’t need to know the future, I don’t need to know five years from now,” added Russell. “Just tell me what would be great for tomorrow.”
The future is no longer as overwhelming as it once was for Russell. UIndy has helped turn her passion into a life-changing program. Thanks to her efforts, a 5-year-old boy with cerebral palsy no longer pushes toys with his feet, and with the help of a walker, is able to stand upright —proof that sometimes it is just about taking the next step.