Who is She?

Hey Everyone, 

My name is Laisha (Lai-jha), but most call me Lae for short. When I meet new people, I tell them to remember my nickname by thinking of Lay's Potato chips even though I don't spell my name that way. It seems to stick because who doesn't LOVE a classic bag of Lay's. :) 

I am former Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) in the Metro Detroit area who has served in Livonia, Ann Arbor, Garden City. Currently working in Bloomfield Hills where I am an Instructional Assistant for children with Special Needs.  I received my degree from Capella University in Applied Behavior Analysis March 2025. 

I have always loved working with children but could never place my finger on a specific field, so I have always been open to new adventures and here we are. 

I created "Hey Friends" (HF), back in 2021, did all the work and never launched it out of FEAR. Here we are in 2025 and it’s "GO TIME." I revamped "HF" to focus on Children with ALL disabilities because we all deserve FRIENDSHIP. Being in clinic/classroom over the last few years made me realize that teachers/paraprofessionals and ALL support staff play a major role in the everyday lives of these children.  I wanted to create something that gives back to those who make major IMPACT in our community. 

We are just in the beginning phase, but with your support we WILL reach every special education school/program in the state of Michigan.  The goal is to let our teachers know how much we support them and much they are needed.