Community Highlights: Meet Vicki Casteal of Next Level Transition Program

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vicki Casteal.

Hi Vicki, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My desire for myself was to become a corporate attorney. I wanted to fight for the good of others. Well, that didn’t happen. Years later, I became a special education teacher. I absolutely loved my job, my students (babies) and my families. I did this job with all my heart and soul. I made it a point to go above and beyond to ensure that my students had real-world experiences, received the necessary skills and training needed to help them once they graduated from high school and contribute to the community that they lived in. With all my efforts, my students would still graduate with no clear direction, no place to continue learning the skills needed to be productive citizens and became depressed for lack of social interaction. This needed to change. The vision for Next Level Transition Program started with a phone call from one of my former students screaming on the phone and crying. I asked her to calm down and explain what was wrong. She said that she went to a summer program and the lady cut up her pizza for her. “How dare she cut up my pizza like I don’t know how to eat pizza. I’m never going back.” I asked her did she ask you first or waited to see if you need assistance, and she said “No.” From this, more and more of my former students and their families started calling expressing how disheartened they were that there was nothing for their child in our area. After being forced to get over my fear of opening a business from a friend and with my husband’s support and many others, I opened Next Level Transition Program and retired from teaching. They needed me more after graduation then before graduation.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Opening Next Level has been the biggest challenge of my life. I would work extra hard during school breaks to grow the business. Getting the vendor contracts was my greatest challenge. They needed to know that I was serious about my vision and ensure that my potential clients would be taken care of.  My former students and other parents that knew me were my biggest supporters in getting the approvals. Without them, no one would talk to me. Getting funding is the biggest struggle. Trying to get others to see your vision without just feeling sorry for them but focusing on the need. There is so much that is needed. Taking baby steps to ensure that my clients had everything they needed to be successful. My next hurdle would be getting the community to understand that individuals with disabilities can work. They want to work and contribute. Getting others to see pass the disability and see the ability is hard.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are a transition program that supports individuals with intellectual disabilities in transitioning to life after graduation. We support them with pre-employment, supportive employment, functional, and social skills training. Next Level strives to provide a comfortable and engaging environment where skills can be learned, then put into practice in-office and in the community. What sets me apart from others is that I am a Certified Special Education teacher that has worked with many individuals with varying disabilities. My focus is to advocate and be that Change Agent that is needed. We take pride in parents coming to us expressing their joy, seeing the positive changes in their family members or a client talking about their growth on the job and them being ready for the next challenge. Next Level is here to support our clients and their families in establishing full lives where they can Dream Beyond Limits.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Don’t give up. Find that quiet place to cry when things become difficult, then get back up and keep moving forward. Not everything we do in life is for us, it may be for the benefit of others. Find that one person that will ask you “WHY” and be ready to answer honestly.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nextleveltransitionprogram.org/
• Instagram: nextleveltransition
• Facebook: @nxtlvltr