December 4, 2025 By CDHD Student trainee impacts: catching up with Audrey Murray There’s no question that being a student at the University of Idaho is about learning, skill development and building experiences. It’s also about discovering your passions and setting yourself up on a career path. The Idaho CDHD Student Trainee Program supports these endeavors by offering university students that chance to work in a real office environment. This time provides valuable skill development while offering students a unique opportunity to build real work experience that can help them in their mission to figure out where they want to go after college. This was certainly the case with Ernesto Marquez Montes, who, with the help of our staff, discovered his passion for genetic counselling. It’s also something Audrey Murray, former student trainee, found during her time at the CDHD. We recently caught up with Audrey, who is now a Community Support Worker, to talk about her CDHD experience. Read on to see how the Center helped her find her passion. Do you remember what projects you worked on while you were at the CDHD? Audrey: I was a student liaison for the Courageous Kids Climbing event in 2021. And then I spearheaded the exercise class for people of all ages with disabilities. At the time, it was all via Zoom so we just started with four people, I think. Now, I think it’s still happening. I still see big groups of people exercising in the park on some days. Yeah! The Movement in the Park classes. Audrey: Yeah. Definitely – it’s one of our most popular programs that we put on! What do you remember the most about the CDHD or your time at the CDHD? Audrey: I really enjoyed the adaptive movement class. It really felt like my baby a little bit, even though I think it already existed and I was just bringing it back to life during COVID. That was definitely my favorite project to work on. It was also my first time working in an office. I thought that was really fun. It was a fun experience for me. Especially one that’s driven by self-advocates and people who are very different from me. It was a really fun experience. Nice! Did you find this being your first time in an office, was it a nice introduction to ease into professional life? Audrey: Yeah, definitely. I thought it was a good, low stakes office experience where I wasn’t there 9-5 but I got a taste of it for sure. What do you miss most about your time at the CDHD? Audrey: Mostly what I’ve covered already. I think I just miss being surrounded by people who are different from me in all ways. Like other student trainees and other self-advocates who allowed me to learn more about myself and the world around me – come out of my little point of view box as a 22-year-old to be like, ‘Oh there are people who are different from me who are perfectly capable of working the same job as me.’ It was very fun to learn that. That’s great! Are there any specific skills that you picked up at the CDHD that have helped you throughout your career? Audrey: Mm hmm, I think the biggest one is communication. Person First Language is always sticking with me. Olivia really drilled that one into us. Mostly communicating with people and learning that isn’t always what we’re told it is. Especially in a work setting. Right, right. Are there any people at the CDHD who inspired you? Audrey: Hmm – Olivia! Olivia Lebens is the best. She was so thoughtful and checked in with me all the time. She also advocated for me as a student when I was a trainee. I feel like she had my back the whole time, and she is still on my reference sheet. I still email her from time to time to let her know when I’m applying for a new job and she is going to get a call. I’ve always felt very supported by her. That’s awesome! Would you recommend the Student Trainee Program to a current student? Audrey: Yes! Definitely! I think I learned more from my … I think I just did a semester … No, two semesters … I probably took away more that I use in my daily life than I did from many of my college classes, which maybe is a bad thing to say. [Laughs] I think I learned so much more. It inspired me a lot more working at the CDHD to have a bigger impact than it did in my actual degree. That’s amazing. So it was real world experience that translated across your graduation. Audrey: Mm hmm. Yeah! What would you say to a current student to convince them to join the program? Audrey: I think would just say that it doesn’t’ matter what degree you’re in or what you want to do with your career. These types of skills apply to everybody and are across the board important. I think more people would benefit from learning about Person First Language and what it means to be a self-advocate or an advocate for others. Yeah! I think we have something here for everybody, right. [Laughs] Everybody can join the CDHD! Audrey: Mm hmm. What are the biggest benefits of the trainee program for students? Audrey: I think … again, just learning communication skills. Learning how to put yourself in somebody else’s shoes. Learn more empathy. As someone who has created your own project or spearheaded your own project (with adaptive movement) did you find that it was a good place to develop leadership skills? Audrey: Yeah, definitely! I kind of saw this project that had been lingering in the past of the CDHD, and I asked Olivia about it. She said, ‘Yes! Yes! 100% go for it. Do whatever you want with it. Figure out how to make it accessible for people during COVID.’ That was a big challenge because we were all struggling with Zoom. Half the time the music wasn’t synced up. I was trying to do a Zumba dance class and I wasn’t sure if people could even see it! [Laughs] I think it was so fun and I definitely had the resources to help me improve my leadership skills. Nice! [Laughs] Aside from your professional pursuits, has the CDHD impacted your life in other ways? Audrey: Yeah, I think I’ve talked about it a bit already, but in general, I think it’s helped me have a broader perspective and improve my general being. Wonderful! And what is your current role, including your job title? Audrey: My current role is a Community Support Worker for a child in town with Autism. Oh wow! How long have you been in this role? Audrey: I have been doing it off and on part-time for about four years. Olivia actually connected me with a family as I was transitioning out of the CDHD. I worked with them for two years off and on. Then I came back to it with a different client. It’s still part-time because it is hard to fund this work full time for families, but I’m also working at a farm in town and teaching art classes at Moscow Contemporary. A little of everything … Right! So you encounter all different types of people in these different roles. Can you provide a little bit of an overview of your roles and the people it impacts. Audrey: Yeah! I’ll focus on my community support role. I work with a boy who is 13. I am his support worker, which I am teaching him social skills, physical education, emotional support and social support. Do you work with any other students or young people? Audrey: It’s just one at the moment. How do you feel this work benefits or impacts your community? Audrey: Oh! So much! I think primarily it impacts the family directly. In working a bit with people with disabilities, I see it a lot now where people need help. Families and individuals. There is a need for more people to potentially help out. Even if it’s just getting groceries for somebody or, yeah, hanging out with a 13-year-old, sometimes. [Laughs]. I like to think that it impacts him a little bit too. He’s very smart and very capable on his own, but it’s been fun working with him for the past two years. 12 to 13, which has been a fun transition period. He’s going on 14 … It’s been really fun seeing his social skills develop as he’s becoming a teenager. That’s amazing! How long would you typically work with a client? Audrey: It kind of just depends on the family’s needs. My last client turned 18 and moved out of the house. My current client is starting to get to the point where he feels that he’ll be ok without somebody. That’s great! What inspired you to take on this role? Audrey: I think my experience at the CDHD helped me realize that I was excited about disability work. Olivia introduced me to the last family I worked with. It was really great and I had so much fun … I learned that I liked this work and haven’t stopped. From the CDHD straight into it! That’s so cool. Audrey: Yes. I like it! Audrey: I did have a ‘grown-up’ job for a couple years. I worked at NRS for two years and then went back to it [working with clients]. More rewarding? Audrey: Yes. Speaking of – what is the most rewarding part of your role? Audrey: I think seeing progress particularly with kids is fun because they’re just growing up. And I can take a little credit or validation from that. It is really fulfilling for me that maybe I had a little bit of an impact. I also think it is just fun work. I think I like the interpersonal connections too. I’ve been very lucky in who I’ve worked with where I connected very well with them. It’s been just like getting paid to hang out with a little friend. This might seem a little bit obvious, but how did your time at the CDHD prepare you for this role? Audrey: Going back to being able to communicate with all types of people in life is so important. I think it’s allowed me to have a little bit more … not necessarily patience … but understanding that we don’t always need to communicate how society tell us to in a neurotypical way. I think people can underestimate how important communication, so I’m glad to see that many of our trainees say that communication is a big part of what they take away from their time here. Audrey: Mm hmm. How do you feel your time at the CDHD contributed to your success? Audrey: Very directly. Obviously. It allowed me the pathway to get where I am now, but primarily it was working with people at the CDHD who had disabilities. Learning how to work with people ‘outside of the box’. I think in most office spaces people are put into a box and expected to work on a rigorous schedule. I loved being in a community and a space where that is not expected. People are allowed to be successful in their way. Incorporating that into my own life where I don’t need to work in a box and I don’t need to teach my clients that they have to work in a box. Do you think you would have been prepared to step into this role without your CDHD training? Audrey: No, not at all. I think I could do it, but I don’t think I would have had the same frame of mind. Thank you, Audrey, for your time in talking about how the CDHD helped you find your career path. We loved hearing about your progress after college and how you were inspired to get involved in your local community. For more information about the Idaho CDHD Student Trainee Program, visit our webpage or contact Olivia Lebens.