Theologian Frederick Buechner famously said, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”
Alumna Ky Krogh, a recreation leader with Seattle Parks & Recreation who works specifically with people with disabilities, sums up her career path another way.
“People need people.”
Krogh’s “deep gladness” and passion for helping others can be traced throughout her life.
She grew up in Beaverton, Oregon, with her parents and older sister. Her family provided foster care for dozens of children over the years, so Krogh grew up with many “brothers and sisters.” She saw up close the varying levels of need her siblings were facing, and it had a profound impact on her.
“I think I saw a lot growing up, and it definitely grew that passion of wanting to just be there for another human,” said Krogh, a Class of 2024 graduate.
When Krogh was in third grade, she had a friend who communicated mainly through American Sign Language with his one-on-one teacher, Miss Coco. In an effort to communicate with her friend, Krogh asked Miss Coco to teach her sign language during recess.
Now in her 80s and retired from teaching special education, Miss Coco still stays in touch with Krogh and is someone who has played an important role in her life and in her journey to working with people who have disabilities.
As a freshman at SPU, Krogh wasn’t sure how to put her passion for helping others into a path after college. However, throughout her time at SPU, several opportunities presented themselves to her.
She got a chance to work with one of her professors on a soccer program in partnership with Seattle United called “UNITE.” Hosted on campus at SPU over four Saturdays, the program was geared towards providing a free and supportive environment for children with disabilities to play soccer.
She then landed a temporary position as a recreational aide with Seattle Parks & Recreation working at summer camps geared toward the disability community.
Krogh remarked that opportunities like this helped her obtain her current position, but she also gave credit to friends she met through a Bible study with helping her see a career path.
“The [SPU] community itself, definitely set me up to find the job,” Krogh said. “I was in a Bible study at SPU and one of the girls mentioned this [recreational aide] job, and I was like, ‘I need to work at their summer camp!’” A few years later, it was this same group of friends who encouraged her to apply for the full-time position when it opened up.
Classes at SPU also helped prepare her for her job. Krogh noted, “You learn in psychology [that] having a sense of belonging is necessary as a human. And I think that our programs really do provide that.”
Seattle Parks & Recreation runs and maintains community centers all over the city. As a recreation leader, Krogh explained that her team “provides safe, fun places for people with disabilities” by ensuring that they also have access to community centers.
Her team works with about 250 people who attend their programs, many who have known each other for over 14 years. The team is specifically trained in how to allow space for hard emotions or behaviors when they arise, while also creating a fun and memorable environment.
Krogh helps run a variety of programs throughout the year. One program she ran this summer called “Sunshine Social” provided people the opportunity to connect with each other while doing things like pottery, watercolors, and birdwatching. Currently, she is leading fitness classes as well as “Sensory Friendly Saturdays” where kids with disabilities get to work on fun, hands-on crafts.
She shared a recent story with a student that left a lasting impression and demonstrated the sense of belonging she sees played out every day in her work.
One day a student arrived visibly upset and Krogh asked her how she could help. The student said she needed to be alone and proceeded to go sit by herself away from the rest of the group. However, as the day progressed, her friends slowly inched their way closer to her and gathered around her despite her sad mood.
“She ended the program with a big smile on her face” Krogh said, “I feel like that speaks to the community that they’ve built because all her friends could tell she was struggling that day.”
She encourages others to get involved with the disability community because there is a lot of potential for personal growth as well as the opportunity to make a difference.
“People need people, and if you want to work with individuals with disabilities or just work in the field of caring for others, do it because it’s really amazing.”
