When Lynn Lubecki ’05 was in high school, a guidance counselor told her she wasn’t college material. “I was told I wasn’t smart enough for college,” she says. “I was written off. That’s a powerful message.”

Lubecki bought it — at first. Then she got her bachelor’s, her master’s, and her doctorate. Today, she’s a faculty member and mentor at Empire State University, where she’s part of the team that’s creating a new early childhood education program and a special ed certificate.

“Empire’s approach not only informed who I am but how I am with students,” she says. “They believed in me. They saw me when I couldn’t see myself.”

Having people who had faith in her changed the trajectory of Lubecki’s life. Now, she works to make sure other children aren’t overlooked, no matter how young.  

 

A Bumpy Start

Lubecki’s own childhood began in an urban neighborhood in Buffalo, NY. She was the oldest of three children, a hard worker who followed the rules but struggled in school. As a young child, she was scolded for not napping, not sharing, and for showing frustration by scribbling on her schoolwork.

Turmoil at home led her to move out at 17. “It was really tough,” she says. “I didn’t know how to do a lot of things. I remember struggling to make rice and trying to learn and do laundry.”

Lubecki went to Bryant and Stratton to “become a proper secretary,” a job she held for several years. By the time she was 22, Lubecki was married and living in Rochester, N.Y. She had two little kids and three jobs. She worked full time at a nonprofit and was a waitress and retail clerk on the weekends.

Unable to afford childcare, she began running a family childcare in her home, a job she did for almost 12 years. During that time, Lubecki decided to go to college and enrolled at Monroe Community College. “I wanted more for myself and my children,” she says.

Enrolling in college was terrifying at first. Time had not erased what her guidance counselor said. But once she was at MCC, she discovered a passion and thirst for knowledge.

“I learned about Achilles’ heel, mythology, Zen, and read The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,” she says. She graduated Phi Theta Kappa, with an associate degree in liberal arts and a concentration in early childhood education.

On her own, she began devouring books and read the Bible, The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, and Joseph Campbell’s books on mythology. She decided to get her bachelor’s degree and enrolled at Empire State University, where she met Barbara Pollock, a faculty member who is now a colleague.

“God bless Barb Pollock,” Lubecki says. “What she did for me is what I do for students today. She saw me, celebrated me, and helped me understand the value I brought to the children in my home, including my own.”

 

Discovering Her Power

Lubecki began viewing her home childcare as a lab and realizing the importance of her work as a childcare provider. “Because of Barb Pollock, I never looked at a baby again without seeing fireworks going off in their brain,” Lubecki says. “I understood that I was contributing to the health of this baby because I was a caring adult. Barb helped me find my value.”

She became aware of how much influence providers and teachers have on young children. “I wanted everyone to realize the value that you bring by just listening and watching children, especially the ones who drive you bonkers,” Lubecki says. “The ones who drive you nuts are the ones who need you the most.”

She especially wanted to help kids who demonstrate “challenging behaviors.” “The preschool to prison pipeline is a real thing,” she says. “They throw kids out of childcare at alarming rates due to implicit biases, judgments, or misreading the behavior. Behavior is communication. What is going on with this kid? Why is this happening? That’s where compassion comes in.”

In 2005, Lubecki graduated with a bachelor’s in human development and a concentration in early childhood development. She went on to get her master’s degree in inclusive early childhood education at Nazareth College and an Ed.D. in executive leadership from St. John Fisher College. She also became certified to teach general education and general education.

 

Paying it Forward

After graduating, Lubecki spent several years in leadership positions at nonprofits, including the Rochester Childfirst Network (RCN), an early childcare services provider, while teaching as an adjunct at Nazareth, SUNY Empire, and the Children’s Institute. She eventually became the executive director and CEO of RCN.

Last summer, Lubecki became a full-time assistant professor of educational studies at SUNY Empire, applying what she learned from her mentors and teachers to her own students.

Lubecki says she sees potential in almost every student she mentors and teaches. “That’s my superpower,” she quips.

At the same time, she’s careful not to overstep her boundaries. “Meeting people where they are means just that,” she says. “I will work as hard as you work, but you have to want it more than I want it. I can’t want it more than they do.”

While grooming the next generation of teachers and childcare providers, she keeps her focus on the children they’ll teach, with the hope that no child will be overlooked as she was. “I want every child to have the opportunity to grow to their fullest potential,” she says.