Peace Family! Welcome to episode 14 of the Foundation. This time we catch up with ABA Behavioral Specialist, Kenny Mathews. Mathews has been involved in the Applied Behavior Analysis field for over 7 years now working with kids and adults suffering from mental health and autism. Mathews was born and raised in Red Bank, New Jersey and attended Montclair State University, in a display of incredible persistence, Mathews took over 9 years to complete his degree, but ultimately earned his bachelors degree in Psychology with a focus on child psychology and sociology from Kean University. Mathews also completed course training to become certified as an ABA specialist. Mathews provides listeners with a foundation on getting started in the field, as well as in-depth instructions on alternative routes that will get you there. Mathews also talks in depth about the perceptions that the autistic and mental health have to encounter from society. Mathews goes in depth about his experience with working in a group home for 5 years in Newark, NJ, one of the state's toughest areas. Mathews sheds light on the misunderstanding that is often attributed to this troubled population, and how his work with them obliterated all of those preconceived notions and prejudices. The themes that stuck out seemed to be the incredible empathy and work ethic littered throughout Mathews' story. Listen and see if there are any tools you may be able to extract from Mathews' story in order to help you construct your success. Until next time, Keep Building Family!