"Making Our World a Better Place"
This is the purpose and motivation behind Self Learning Center
I am Lucía Barbeyto, the founder and president of Self Learning Center. I was born and raised in Spain and have lived in Miami since 1999. I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Keiser University, obtaining a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in international business. I also obtained a Master’s degree in Project Management from the Instituto Europeo de Postgrado (IEP) in Spain. For more than a decade, I have held several leadership positions, including finance manager and business consultant. I have a strong background in finance, project management, and business operations. Additionally, I am also a member of the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society.
Aside from my professional background, I am the mother of two young adults, Hector and Lucia. At the age of 2, Hector was diagnosed with autism, and by the age of eleven, he developed intractable epilepsy, something that he continues to struggle with. At the age of two and a half, Hector was expelled from the childcare center he was attending due to his developmental delays derived from his autism. Over time, Hector's needs increased due to the severity of his autism. In 2017, Hector had a serious accident while he was attending the public school system, leading us to decide to permanently homeschool him.
My mission today is to assist parents and professionals in helping people with autism or other developmental disabilities achieve their maximum potential.
Due to the high level of support that Hector needed and all the issues related to his health, my life was forever changed in innumerable ways, and I had no alternative but to reassess my personal and professional goals. I began educating myself about representing and advocating for children with disabilities. In 2016, I became a Certified Advocate after completing the Partner in Policy Making program offered by the Florida Developmental Disability Council. (FDDC). From 2018 to 2021, I served as a Board Member of the Florida State Advisory Committee for the Education of Exceptional Students (SAC) at the Florida Department of Education (FDOE).
In 2019, I decided to further my advancement in learning about early childhood education, and after obtaining a Child Care Program Center Director Certification from the Department of Children and Families, I co-founded a preschool for children 0 to 5 years old with and without disabilities, from which I was the director for 3 years. It was during those years that I realized the mission for which I came to this world.
In 2022, I decided to return to school, and after completing a Graduate Certification in Positive Behavior Support (PBS) and a Master's in Applied Behavior Analysis from the University of South Florida (USF), I became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). During this new academic journey, I was nominated as 2022-2023 Emerging Leader Representative.
In 2023, I was appointed as a board member of the Autism Society of Florida, from which I am also the director of the parent support group in Spanish. Additionally, to continue promoting the inclusion of people with special needs, I created a YouTube channel where I occasionally publish my public advocacy participation on Hispanic social media platforms and local TV channels.