By TISA MASON
FHSU President
I have always appreciated the great impact of school psychologists, and I’m proud of each of our FHSU grads who strive to give back to their communities through this essential service. FHSU’s 2025 Lighthouse award winner, Allyson Baloga, exemplifies the spirit of supporting children, parents, and their school systems as she looks forward to launching her career as a school psychologist.
Allyson was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and grew up in Belle Plaine, Kansas, south of Wichita, and then later in Wichita.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Wichita State University. “I had a class with a professor who talked about the school-to-prison pipeline, and that was probably the best thing I learned,” Allyson said. “I decided that for me, personally, the place I could have the most impact wasn’t going to be in the criminal justice system. I needed to work on the education side if I was going to change this dynamic.”
However, Allyson’s transition from a career in the criminal justice field to education would have to wait several years. She met and married her husband, Ben, an Air Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician stationed at McConnell Air Force Base. She also went to work as a mental health case manager, helping children with severe emotional disturbances and supporting teachers, parents, doctors, and community providers to ensure they got the care they needed. She also met a school psychologist while working as a case manager.
“She was so amazing and generous with her time and expertise. She let me ask her questions and tag along like a puppy,” Allyson said. She went home the first day after meeting the school psychologist and told her husband that this was the work she was fated to pursue.
About the time Allyson decided to go back to school and pursue a master’s degree, Ben let her know he had just received orders to his next duty station in Alaska. Marriage and family were Allyson’s first priorities. With their two young sons in tow, the Balogas headed to Elmendorf, Alaska.
“We spent eight years in Alaska, and once my youngest started kindergarten, I decided it was time for me to dive back into my education and career,” Allyson said.
She began looking for an online master’s program in school psychology and found Fort Hays State University. She reached out to some practicing school psychologists through Facebook and liked what they had to say about the program. She then contacted Assistant Professor Angie Howard in the FHSU Department of Psychology, little knowing that Angie would go on to play a pivotal role as a mentor for Allyson during her graduate degree experience.
The more she got to know the online program and the faculty she spoke with, the more she liked the idea of restarting her educational journey at FHSU. “It turned out it was fate,” Allyson said. “I just knew this was the program for me.”
While unmatched affordability played a big role in Allyson’s decision to pursue her master’s degree in school psychology at FHSU, the supportive professional culture she found at the university made all the difference. “I still can’t believe the education that you get at FHSU. It’s the people at FHSU who make the difference. This whole university community cares about you.”
Eight years after she decided to pivot from criminal justice to school psychology, Allyson is poised to start doing the work she feels she was destined to do. “I think the preventive care that I’ve been trained to deliver as a school psychologist, the nurturing element, is what will make that difference for the children I will serve, and for me,” Allyson said.
She is drawn to working through what amounts to a great big puzzle when finding solutions for kids in need. “I enjoy the challenge of figuring out their needs and how teachers, parents, other specialists, and compassionate people in the community can best support our kiddos. I love the fact that it’s never the same day twice.”
This academic year, she completed a 600-hour practicum and will begin a 1,200-hour internship in Minot Public Schools next fall. Allyson explained why in-depth field experiences are essential elements in the FHSU school psychology graduate program: “School psychologists are relied upon to know laws and regulations. We also depend upon them for our expertise in child development theory and practice, assessments, and knowing how children learn and develop, and the impact of childhood illnesses and developmental challenges.”
As a graduate student, she co-authored a professional article featured in Communique’, the journal of the National Association of School Psychologists. She has testified before the Kansas House of Representatives’ Committee on Health and Human Services on behalf of legislation that would expand access to school psychology services by allowing professionals in the field the ability to practice across state borders. She also served as a leader with the National Association of School Psychologists and as a FHSU Online Student Government Association member.
Allyson Baloga graduated last week with her education specialist degree in school psychology. In a fitting sendoff, she was also named the recipient of this year’s Lighthouse Award as the outstanding graduate student in this spring’s graduating class.
Never one to seek or revel in accolades, Allyson said, “I will always come back to the fact that it is absolutely the people at FHSU who put me in a position for an award like this. People like Professor Howard and Director Amy Drinnon were always there to support and challenge this online student from far-off North Dakota."