by Eileen Scott
Special to The Leaven
PAOLA — “I’ll never give up on you.”
That’s the promise Karen Ulanski-Swank, a member of Holy Trinity Parish in Paola, made to her students and her community as she advocates for new beginnings through education.
The director of alternative and virtual education at Paola USD 368 has a profound belief in the potential of the human person, especially when they’ve experienced hard times.
“Everyone deserves a second chance,” she said, “and sometimes a third, fourth or fifth one.”
That’s why she founded Second Chances Begin Here Inc., a nonprofit helping teens and adults earn their GED and prepare for careers.
An early passion
As a young girl growing up in rural Nebraska, Ulanski-Swank knew she wanted to be a teacher. The seventh of nine children, she spent the summer teaching her two younger siblings in the basement of their farmhouse using the discarded books and manuals from the Catholic school she attended.
More than 30 years later, she is still teaching and fostering a spirit of achievement and possibility.
While Ulanski-Swank is an advocate for second chances, she doesn’t spend much time second-guessing.
Just as she knew she was meant to teach, she also knew when it was time to take a pause from it. Early in her career, she experienced an ethical conflict with the school where she taught.
Not willing to compromise her beliefs, she took a sales position outside of education to fully discern what being an educator meant for her.
Every fall when school supplies were on display, she was reminded of her first love. So, it’s not surprising that the classroom called her home and she gave teaching a second chance.
She also gave love a second chance.
When her first husband passed from lung cancer, Ulanski-Swank was devastated. Yet, after some time, she learned to open herself to love again and married her second husband, Derek.
And, when one of the multi-county adult education programs she led was cut in 2025 due to lack of funding, Ulanski-Swank knew she had to do something.
She has always been a problem solver — a trait she attributes to her servant-leader mother who served on the parish council and the school board.
After some thought, she told Derek, “I’m going to start a nonprofit.”
And at 62 years old, she did.
Brightening futures
In July 2025, with seed money from generous donors and some additional grant money, Second Chances was formed.
The program provides GED classes, Integrated Educational Training and workshops with area employers.
Donor generosity sustained the program through its first year, but ongoing donations and support are needed for sustainability and growth.
There are currently 32 students enrolled in the program. Ulanski-Swank and two Second Chances educators meet individually with students at the Paola Free Library.
A young woman named Mariah is one of those students.
“When I first came in, they helped me with a lot — with math and everything,” she said. “Once I finish, I want to get a job so I can provide for my future.”
Mariah plans to obtain her GED in a few weeks and continue her education so she can become a veterinarian.
But it’s not just the students who benefit from second chances and Ulanski-Swank’s dedication.
Theresa Dickinson is an educator with Second Chances and has worked with Ulanski-Swank in alternative and adult education for 20 years.
When she first started working at the Osawatomie alternative school, Dickinson didn’t have her associate degree and didn’t believe she was qualified for the job.
She tried quitting more than once, but Ulanski-Swank wouldn’t hear of it. Instead, she encouraged Dickinson to finish the credits she needed for her associate degree in science and assured her that she was more than capable.
Why is Ulanski-Swank so passionate about second chances?
“It’s just who I am,” she said. “I believe God knows my strengths. God knows what I’m capable of doing. And I believe he walked with me every step of the way.”
