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Meet Mallory Kojkowski of Fusion Academy Miami in Downtown Dadeland

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Mallory Kojkowski.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Mallory . So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Having the opportunity to share one’s story is both exciting and frightening all at the same time.
Growing up, I used to tell my mom I wanted to be a babysitter for a living. As I grew older, I discovered that there are so many ways to better the lives of children. My mom is one of those remarkably good individuals, a paradigm for unselfishness. My mom taught students with emotional and physical special needs for over 30 years with Dade County Public Schools. There is one day a year, in the Dade County public school system where children are allowed to go with a parent to work for the day, known as “bring your child to work day”. This day used to mesmerize me all year, anxious of experiencing a day where my inspirations were at the tip of my fingers. I found my mother’s classroom of chaos more of a comfort zone. It was here, where I could enact my abilities of altruism and engagement to children. I felt not only inspired but empowered.
I was born and raised in Miami and growing up here felt both intriguing and challenging. I am a product of Miami Dade County Public Schools all the way from kindergarten at Kendale Lakes Elementary, to middle school at Arvida, to my senior year of high school at Miami Killian Senior High (Go Cougars!). School was hard and I was the type of student that really had to work for good grades. But that I did. Being surrounded by my family, whose support and encouragement never wavered, made it a little easier. After high school, I packed my bags alongside my Florida Prepaid College Plan (thanks Mom and Dad for that one!) and Florida Bright Futures Scholarship and moved to Tallahassee.
I entered my freshman year at Florida State University as a creative writing major. All it took was one long semester for me to realize that creative writing was definitely not for me. My second semester in college, I had signed up for a general psychology course. After the first day of that course, I knew I had found my new major. I found this class to be remarkably entertaining and insightful to a world beyond my knowledge. The child psychology class I enrolled in next confirmed my intelligence. I enthusiastically began to dedicate my profession to children in need of psychological guidance. I graduated in 2009 with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Child Development from FSU.
Immediately after graduating, I began a master’s program at the University of Miami. And in case you’re wondering, I always root for my Seminoles – even when they play the Canes! I spent two years studying mental health counseling and I received my M.S.Ed. in 2011. I then went on to get my doctorate degree in Special Education.

Has it been a smooth road?
Of course not. Revisiting accomplishments coincides with remembering failures and regrets. Yet recently, I learned that failure isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Some of my biggest failures have led to my greatest achievements and I think overall, failing at the unexpected has made me a stronger human being. Right after I got my master’s degree at UM, I moved to Pittsburgh to start a Ph.D. program in School Psychology. I applied to many programs, and Duquesne University offered me a graduate assistantship funding 100% of my tuition. Decision made! I spent one long and very cold year in Pittsburgh as a first year in the Ph.D. program. At the end of the year, I was informed that my graduate assistantship funding had been cut. It was now up to me to come up with $40k per year in tuition, for another 3 years. I felt as though I had failed. I failed my parents, I failed in school, and most importantly I had failed myself. I made the painfully difficult decision to leave Pittsburgh and move back to Miami, skipping out on the $120k in student loans that would have followed me.
I was so disappointed in myself and had no idea where to go or what to do next. A few months after moving back to Miami, I got a job working for the University of Miami and Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, known as UM-NSU CARD. I worked at CARD as a Clinical Support Administrator for almost five years. I helped countless families who had children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, assisted teachers in the classroom, and trained local professionals in how best to work with individuals with autism. My time at CARD taught me so much. While working at CARD, I was able to complete my doctorate degree in Special Education through Nova Southeastern University. I finally did it – I was Dr. Mallory Kojkowski.
A little over a year ago, I knew I was ready for a change. CARD was so good to me, but I felt as though I was ready to continue with my journey and embark on a new career. I found Fusion Academy online and I felt as though I had found my match. Fusion is a very unique school in that all classes are offered in a one to one setting. That’s one teacher and one student for every single class. We serve students in grades 6th-12th who are not able to be successful in a traditional school and classroom environment. We have amazing arts programs, a music recording studio, and we even offer yoga! Fusion is all over the U.S. with almost 50 schools nationwide. I am so proud to be the Director of Admissions and Outreach for the Miami campus, feeling like I have the opportunity to use my clinical and educational knowledge yet learning something new every day.
You see, my failure in Pittsburgh brought me back to Miami. Which at the time, made me feel ashamed and embarrassed. Yet now, I see that it brought me back to the exact place I needed to be to reach my goals and be given the opportunity for new and amazing experiences. I now see that failure as a positive and I know that failing doesn’t mean negativity. Overall, my journey is simple. I set goals when I was just a child and I worked really, really hard to achieve them. I have the support every day from my family, my husband, my coworkers, and the families with whom I work with – and I’d be nowhere without them.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Fusion Academy Miami story. Tell us more about the business.
Fusion Academy is an accredited private school that serves students in 6th-12th grade. Fusion Academy takes a unique approach where every class is always taught in person with one teacher and one student; teachers are experts in their subject area. This allows us to create a very customized and supportive learning environment for each and every student, meeting that student where they are at emotionally, socially and academically. We currently have close to 50 campuses all over the US – really revolutionizing the way school can be for students. We are also able to provide our students with a fun, creative, and full school culture; even though classes are taught one-to-one, the structure of Fusion Academy allows us to place a strong emphasis on socialization and creative expression. We serve many types of students including those who are coming from specialized boarding school programs, treatment programs, those struggling with mental health issues (e.g., depression or anxiety), those who have learning differences, ADHD, highly gifted students and those students who will flourish more in a personalized learning environment.

I serve as the Director of Admissions and Outreach for Fusion Academy Miami. I am the first point of contact for any family interested in learning more about Fusion, providing information about our school and learning about their student to see if they might be a good fit. I also am the face of Fusion Miami within the community, doing outreach with local psychologists, educational consultants, and private school administers just to name a few. Because of my doctorate in Special Education, I assist our Special Education lead teacher on campus with all of our SPED students! I also plan all of the events for Fusion Miami! It’s amazing that I can take my clinical background and use it while I am on outreach meetings with clinical professionals – it sure comes in handy!

Fusion sets itself apart from other schools simply by the nature of how unique and different we are. There truly is nothing like us out there. I am proud to work for a company that not only values the well being of their students, but also of their employees. I am also proud that we focus on our students social and emotional needs, as well as their academic needs. They are just as, if not more, important.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Fusion is corporate owned and we have our headquarters in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I’m sure our CEO can answer this question a lot better than me, ha! But I know the plan for Fusion is to continue growing across the US as well as supporting our schools and allowing them to grow. Soon we’ll be opening in places like Boston, Seattle, and Atlanta! Fusion Education Group is always moving with the times and the trends so I have no doubt that we’ll continue to better ourselves as a company!

 

Pricing:

  • At Fusion, we charge per course, per semester. That’s because students have the flexibility to come to us as a full time student taking a full load of classes, or come for one or two classes! Everything is customizable! Therefore, we charge per class per semester.
  • Middle school courses are $4,000 per course/per semester and high school courses are $3,500 per course/per semester.
  • So, for a full time middle school student you’re looking at about $45,000-$50,000 for the year, and for a full time high school student, you’re looking at $40,000-$45,000 for the year.

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