Every failure results in learning.

It's not uncommon for excellent educators to share encouraging words like those with their students. Brittany Wickham, EDU '15, uses this phrase to describe her own journey. Explaining she always wanted to be a teacher and noting that while she was a well-behaved student, she was not a top academic performer, Wickham says her path to her career in education was a bit untraditional.

She arrived at Temple in 2011 after transferring from Towson University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in adult and organizational development (AOD).

"Your goal when you arrive at college can change," Wickham said. "It doesn't mean you failed. It means you found a better path."

Wickham's path began with many years spent working at summer camps, exploring her love of TV and film (but, she says, not wanting to sit alone editing video all day), and a natural connection with children.

"I have found that I appeal to kids," she said. "First graders walking down the street or riding SEPTA just come up to me and ask me what my second favorite dinosaur is, for instance. I don't know what it is, but they're drawn to me."

As she sought ways to connect with children outside the traditional classroom, she discovered the museum world and jumped into children's education programs there.

Wickham began working at The Franklin Institute and fell in love with science education. The educational program there, she explained, was based on the Pennsylvania state curriculum. She spent her days engaging with children and capturing their curiosity, but also credits her AOD education with preparing her to train her co-workers, enabling them to target their programs for elementary-aged children.

"My childhood development class was instrumental in my being able to cater the experiences I offered at The Franklin Institute. I would begin my programs by asking my audience questions, allowing me to learn a bit about them and tailor the program to their needs." Wickham added that instructor Brad Litchfield (EDU '09, '13) helped shape her journey not only professionally, but personally. While studying learning disorders in class, she began to understand and cope with her own recent attention deficit disorder (ADD) diagnosis. "He made me feel confident I could manage it all. He made my accommodations feel very normal."

Another tremendous influence for Wickham at Temple was Cynthia Belliveau. "She introduced me to outreach programs," Wickham explained while fondly remembering the beloved professor, who passed away in 2022. "Her advice led me to The Franklin Institute."

She worked there until the COVID-19 pandemic forced layoffs. That was tough, Wickham candidly shared, but, she added, it gave her a chance to return to TV and film and begin combining her interests. That's how "Bee the Scientist" was born.

Now an entrepreneur, Wickham started her own business creating science education videos targeting mom groups who were educating their children at home. "I met with clients via Zoom for hour-long sessions where I paired a storybook with an experiment. That ability to incorporate literacy led to my next job at the National Liberty Museum."

The civics museum had been traditionally targeted at older students, Wickham explained, but with the William Penn Foundation funding a special grant-based program, Big Ideas for Little Learners, they needed someone who could interact with younger children. Wickham says she created a literacy program there based on the principles of civics, complete with fictional superhero Lila Liberty, who donned "integrity boots and a compassion cape, used a perseverance pencil and wore 'respectacles' to see the hearts of others."

About a year later, she discovered her current role working at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) as the child activity coordinator in the cardiac unit. There, she works in the Child Life Department. She first learned about the practice of Child Life through her cousin Alanna, who works at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, and who always knew this role would be a good match for her. Wickham explains that her objective is to bring a bit of normalcy and joy into the lives of the children and families she works with.

"I'm like an activities sommelier," Wickham shares with a laugh. "We do normative and developmental play. I work to build a relationship and find out what [my patients] are interested in. This helps me help them return to their full self. I also work with patients' parents and siblings, doing activities at the bedside." Wickham explains that it's important for her to get to know the families of her patients because they are all impacted by the experience. "Sometimes we have families or children that don't speak English," she adds. "But the language of play is universal. They know I'm the 'play lady' and my input matters to my colleagues [when evaluating readiness for discharge]."

Wickham also influences the relationships her colleagues have with patients by involving medical staff and others in non-medically-driven interactions to reduce "staff phobia."

"There are always books around," says Wickham, "so I encourage nurses and doctors to read to the children. This helps foster positive connections, so their presence isn't always based on needle sticks and other challenges. The environmental workers, who have at times felt like they had to slip quietly in and out of rooms diminishing their presence, have gotten involved and take great pride engaging with the children."

"My inner child totally informs my career," Wickham confesses. "I even started a book club that works the way the Pizza Hut Book It program of my childhood worked. Staff are encouraged to read to patients who don't get a lot of visitors at bedside. They earn pins or coffee gift cards."

Wickham says she loves books so much that, as a student living in the community near Main Campus, she became the neighborhood "book lady," often giving out books to children from her porch, adding that her friends reminded her to give out more than books at Halloween.

One special bonus of working at CHOP - Wickham also gets to incorporate the excellent programming in their TV studio, Seacrest Studios. Kits are made available for patients and siblings to do activities alongside the hosts and even call in to the show. "It's the combination of all my hobbies and interests, every single job I've had, and my Temple education." 

Wickham boasts that "becoming an AOD major really ended up being the right thing for me. Any job that allowed me to work with kids outside of a traditional classroom would be a good fit." At The Franklin Institute, Wickham says, she embraced her "inner nerd." Now, she enjoys working with others in STEM careers. "A classroom was too small for me," she jokes. "I'm the person who will get your class all riled up and leave! Schedule me before recess!"

The self-described "winter goddess" says she thinks of her future like a snowball. "I'm always adding onto it, but Temple is at the core."

"I received a second chance at Temple as a transfer student," Wickham shares, adding that she is practicing what she preached when giving the address as class president at her high school graduation. "I wished everyone a lot of big failures and small successes, with a wish that they have enough successes to get them through the failures. I sure have. To fail is a part of learning - you pick yourself up and keep moving." Wickham adds "I'm exactly what it means to be Temple Made. I developed the ability to redirect my goals."

Now, she says, her goal is to produce her own children's show with curriculum resources. She enjoys creating media and experiences that are widely accessible and sees her lasting impact as empowering others to feel more confident working with young children. To do so, she says, they need to stay connected to their inner child. To know their second favorite dinosaur. Hers is the velociraptor.