Kaelyn Adams
As a human ecology major with a concentration in child life, senior Kaelyn Adams has
always felt called to help children feel safe, understood and supported. That calling
is rooted in her own childhood. When Adams was young, she underwent cancer treatment
and spent a significant amount of time in pediatric hospitals. What she remembers
most clearly is the presence of child life specialists who helped her feel secure
in an unfamiliar environment.
“They really are the reason I decided to go into child life,” Adams said. “I had some
that were with me throughout the duration of my treatments. They always answered all
my questions.”
When she discovered that Tennessee Tech University offered an academically endorsed
child life program, her decision to apply came almost instantly. There are only a
limited number of programs in the country that meet the requirements for students
to sit for the Child Life Professional Certification Exam, and Tech was one of the
few that stood out to her.
“I immediately was like, ‘That is what I want to do. That is where I want to go,’”
she said.
Touring Tech helped her find a campus that felt familiar and welcoming. She remembers
thinking the community felt warm and connected and that faculty and students alike
seemed invested in one another.
“I never felt like I didn’t belong at Tech or that I wasn’t at home,” she said. “Everywhere
you look, someone is willing to remind you that this can be your safe space.”
Her professors quickly became some of the most influential people in her life. She
specifically credits Cara Sisk, Tech’s child life advisor and a certified child life
specialist, for helping her navigate her academic plan and prepare for certification.
Adams says that this type of support extends across the School of Human Ecology.
“My professors have had a huge impact on my personal and professional development,”
she said. “They are invested in your success. It becomes more than just a student
and advisor relationship.”
Much of Adams’ excitement for her future career comes from the hands-on components
of the program. Courses in child life assessment and interventions allow students
to practice preparing children for medical procedures, offering emotional support
and creating developmentally appropriate activities that reduce fear and build confidence.
Those experiences helped confirm for Adams that she is pursuing the right path.
“You have these moments in class where you realize that you are going to be doing
this,” she said. “It feels incredible to think, I get to implement these interventions,
and this is something I am good at.”
She completed a practicum at a children’s hospital, which she describes as on the
most important parts of her training. Practicums are not required for certification,
but Adams believes they are essential for growth. They give students the chance to
observe child life specialists, explore different units in the hospital and begin
developing their own style in the profession. Her experience included time in the
emergency department, radiology, infusions and outpatient surgery.
“A practicum helps you grown in your skill and in your confidence,” she said. “You
start to discover your niche and who you want to be as a child life specialist.”
Those experiences helped shape her future goals. Adams hopes to work in hematology
or oncology, a population she feels deeply connected to because of her own story and
because of what she has learned through her coursework. She is particularly interested
in diagnostic teaching, a technique that helps children understand their diagnosis
in age-appropriate terms.
“It gives children independence and lowers feelings of isolation,” she said. “That
is something I want to be able to provide.”
Her advice to future child life majors is to seek out as many experiences as they
can, build strong relationships with professors and peers and make the most of the
resources Tech offers.
“The more experiences you have, the more exciting this profession becomes,” she said.
“My undergraduate experience has been crucial. It validated that this is what I am
meant to do and showed me that I am good at it.”
As Tech’s Child Life program transitions to a Master’s level degree the university
is creating a new path for students to enter the advanced care field. Starting Fall
2026, students interested in child life will have the opportunity to pursue an undergraduate
human development and family science degree before moving into the child like Master’s.