How Denise helps children and families get the support they need to succeed in school

When a child is struggling in school, the problem isn't always what's happening in the classroom.

Sometimes a child needs different accommodations. Sometimes it's anxiety. Sometimes a medication schedule isn't working.  Sometimes it’s simply that parents and educators, both wanting the very best for that child, need a little help hearing each other.

That’s where Denise comes in.

With 15 years of experience as a special education teacher and a parent of five children, Denise has seen life from both sides of the table. Today, she works at UnitedHealthcare as a school liaison for members enrolled in the STAR Kids Medicaid managed care program in Texas. Denise helps bridge the gap between families and schools, so children with complex medical and behavioral care get the support they need to succeed.

“UnitedHealthcare is built on compassion and wanting to help people. I'm the one who bridges that gap,” she says. “I put the puzzle pieces together.”

When a UnitedHealthcare service coordinator refers a family to Denise, she doesn't start by looking for solutions. She starts by asking questions and listening. How is the child doing academically? Do they have friends? Are they getting counseling? What happens after school? Only after she understands the whole picture does she begin bringing people together.

“I'm there to help open the lines of communication and look for options,” Denise says. And sometimes, the solution is surprisingly simple.

When a student who used a power wheelchair couldn't close the restroom door because the accessible bathroom wasn't large enough, Denise worked with the family and school district to find a straightforward solution: removing a wall so he could enjoy the same privacy as every other student.

For Denise, success isn't measured by dramatic moments. “When school's going okay for a child, the rest of their life seems to fall into place,” she says. “And when a child comes home and says, ‘I had a good day today,’ that's a win.”

Some of Denise's proudest moments happen long after students leave high school.

Years ago, parents began telling Denise they worried about what would come next for their children after high school. They might not go to college or immediately enter the workforce, but they still needed friendship, purpose and connection. When one parent said, “I don't have anything after high school for my child,” Denise and her co-worker decided to do something about it.

Together they created a monthly virtual social group for young adults ages 18 to 21, and the participants named it themselves: The Originals Young Adult Social Group. There are no lessons or curriculum. No pressure. Just a chance to spend time together talking about anything and everything. "It's theirs," Denise says. “They own it.”

One young man summed it up perfectly when he said, "Other than doctor's appointments, I've got you guys."

Then there was the young woman who spent the group's first meeting looking to her mother before answering every question. A few minutes into the conversation, Denise recalls that the woman quietly said, “You can go, Mom. I got this.” Her mother left the room, but she stayed.

For Denise, that moment captured everything she hopes to accomplish. "That's independence," she says. "That's having a voice."

That same spirit shapes Denise's life outside UnitedHealthcare. She serves on the boards of Emily's Meals, which provides meals to people experiencing homelessness, and El Milagro Clinic, which helps uninsured members of her community access medical care.

As a little girl, Denise watched her grandfather quietly provide shelter for an unhoused person. Those early lessons stayed with her, and service, she says, has always been a part of her values.

Today, whether helping a family navigate special education school services, creating a place where young adults can build lasting friendships or delivering a hot meal to someone who's hungry, Denise approaches each person the same way.

She listens. Then she asks a simple question: “How can I help?”