We're celebrating Bellarmine's great graduates with stories that highlight their ingenuity and resilience. At Bellarmine, Daria Ochenkowski, an education major, found her passion for people, the tools she needs to teach and a job in a classroom immediately after graduation.
Dr. Winn Wheeler will never forget the first time she met Daria Ochenkowski. As a
junior, Daria was taking Wheeler鈥檚 Reading Foundations class for her education major.
鈥淲ithin the first five minutes of our interaction, I learned about Daria鈥檚 deep passion
for helping children learn,鈥 said Wheeler, a literacy professor. 鈥淪he wanted to learn
everything she could about teaching students.鈥
That passion was indicative of Daria鈥檚 career at Bellarmine, where she was a student-athlete
involved in numerous activities, all while excelling at classwork and maintaining
a spot on the Dean鈥檚 List.
鈥淪he has made decisions that will help grow her into the kind of leader and teacher
who will make a profound difference in the school community,鈥 Wheeler said.
Daria graduated from Bellarmine in December and immediately landed a position teaching
sixth-grade social studies at Newburg Middle School, where she鈥檇 done her student
teaching.
Observing her teach, Dr. Elizabeth Dinkins, chair of Bellarmine鈥檚 education program,
said Daria was 鈥榯eaching her heart out.鈥
Daria, who is from Lexington, became interested in Bellarmine after being .
After she attended one of the university鈥檚 OverKnight visits for admitted students, Bellarmine felt like home.
鈥淚t was the perfect combination for what I was looking for in a school,鈥 she said.
Daria considered another major first, but pivoted to education, and knew it was the
right fit.
鈥淧eople are my passion,鈥 she said.
When Daria met Wheeler, she was volunteering at the Backside Learning Center at Churchill Downs, which evolved into a summer position through the Americorps VISTA program. Daria ran the after-school program, working one-on-one with students to strengthen their reading.
鈥淚 loved my work there,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t will forever have an imprint on who I am. It
really showed me the value of reading and reading instruction.鈥
Daria said the work correlated perfectly with what she was learning in Dr. Wheeler鈥檚
class.
鈥淚 was consistently going back to class, saying, 鈥業鈥檓 having a situation with a student,鈥
and I was able to break it down, learning the foundations of reading and pinpoint,
鈥極h wow, this is where they鈥檙e lacking in
reading instruction,鈥欌 she said.
While at Bellarmine, Daria also worked with children who have Down syndrome as a camp
counselor at Dreams with Wings, a Louisville nonprofit serving children with intellectual
and developmental disabilities.
Due to injuries, she opted to leave the track and field team. Still, she enjoyed her
athletic career and served as president of Bellarmine鈥檚 chapter of the Fellowship
of Christian Athletes. She also was a Bellarmine officer in Kappa Delta Pi, the
International Honor Society in Education.
Most of all, Daria said she loved Bellarmine鈥檚 tight-knit community.
鈥淏eing able to walk through campus and pretty much know everyone you walk by is really
cool,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 something you don鈥檛 get in a lot of places. You can have
that connection anywhere you go on campus. The relationships
you build with professors are huge as well.鈥
Daria said she鈥檚 interested in returning to Bellarmine to earn her master鈥檚 and then
possibly a Ph.D. in education and social change.
In the meantime, she鈥檚 honing her professional skills and earning a living doing exactly
what she wants to do.
鈥淚鈥檓 where I want to be,鈥 she said.
AT A GLANCE
Hometown: Lexington, Ky.
Major(s): Middle School Education, Social Studies and Learning and Behavior Disorders
Activities: Cross Country, Track & Field, FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes), Kappa Delta Pi
Internships or work experience: Backside Learning Center and Dreams with Wings
Post-grad plans: Currently 6th-grade social studies teacher at Newburg Middle School
Why Bellarmine? I first chose Bellarmine because of running, but overall it felt right from the second I stepped on campus.
How would you describe your college experience? Challenging but rewarding, I hit quite a few speed bumps along the way, but forever thankful for the people that kept me going.
Who has made the difference along the way? Coaches, professors, friends
What advice would you give to incoming freshman? Throw away the plan, which is one of the hardest things to do. Find things to be grateful for and know you are on the right track. If you don't think you are, you will for sure make your way back there. Keep the faith. Find your people.