鼓舞人心的猫头鹰

Even though I have a condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), 在我心中, I never labeled or visualized myself as someone who had a disability. I have used a power wheelchair since the age of four years old, yet I always felt like I was just a typical kid like all my peers. Despite my physical limitations, I had a strong desire to be a good student. 我一直很喜欢运动, and because I was never able to play competitively, I made academics my own personal sport. Because of limited function in my arms and hands, 在小学, I was introduced to assistive technology to help me independently complete my school work. I never really enjoyed being the only student in the class with a laptop, 但现在我意识到我的笔记本电脑, glide-pad鼠标, 屏幕上的键盘, and numerous other programs had a significant role in my academic success.

 In 2015, I graduated from West 波卡拉顿 Community High School in the top 15% of my class with a 4.1平均绩点. My high school academic success led to me receiving a full college scholarship. I was ecstatic and nervous when I got accepted into FAU. I always had a history of being a good student, but I did not know what to expect as a college student. Shortly after being accepted, I received an invitation to join the University Honors Program. While I was honored to receive the invitation, I questioned whether I belonged in this rigorous program. 然而, after receiving additional information and learning about the benefits of the program, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself by enrolling into the program.

 Throughout my four memorable years as a business management major at FAU, 我努力工作以保持4分.0的绩点. I also graduated as the 2017 Valedictorian of the University Honors Program, served as an Elite Owl Leadership and Service Ambassador, served as the Executive Vice President for The National Society Of Collegiate Scholars, and became a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, The National Society of Leadership and Success, 还有Phi Kappa Phi. I committed myself to accomplish these ambitious goals to demonstrate that people with disabilities and people without disabilities can achieve anything with hard work and true commitment to a vision. Everyone faces visible and nonvisible obstacles in his or her lives, and what people accomplish in spite of the challenges they face shows who they truly are as individuals.

 I am forever grateful for 学生无障碍服务, 教授, 教师, and family and friends who supported my academic endeavors. I plan on graduating in August 2019 with my bachelor’s degree in business administration (BBA). In 2020, I hope to continue my education by pursuing a master’s degree in business administration (MBA). 

2019年2月

Booker T. Washington once penned these words: "Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome." These words ring true for this month's Inspirational Owl.

My name is Alexis, and growing up, I was extremely active in the arts. I participated in everything from music and th吃er production, to film and graphics. 然而, 二十岁的时候, I suffered a severe traumatic brain injury after being hit by a car while crossing the street on a romantic date.  Not waking up from a coma in a day or two, or even a couple of weeks… but several months later left a very difficult road to recovery ahead of me. 这里只列举了一些困难, 我必须学会走路, 用我的手, 吃, 喝少量液体和交谈. To some, giving up may seem like the only option. 如果你问一个病人, educator or family member of a neurological disorder, to list the top five things you find as the most testing or difficult, “好奇”总是榜上有名.

I give thanks to God every day because in my case, many uncertainties have been accomplished through consistency and dedication.  例如, 当我被告知事故的时候, I was not able to walk or even hold my head up on my own. 然而, after I was sent to The Shepherd Center in Atlanta, 第二次去乔治亚州, I realized the difference between a brain injury and paralysis. The difference being the ability to have feeling in your lower extremities (brain injury) or not (paralysis). I was able to feel my legs but was not able to walk. I lacked the strength that was needed to take a step on my own. As a result of my injury, I was sent to the gym every day to regain my strength. No matter how I looked or what others thought, I went to the gym.

Once I started walking again, I had a new goal: to learn and understand. After approval from my physical therapist and neurologist, I was able to register for a class or two at Palm Beach State College. I took the same strategy that I used for walking to learn. 幸运的是, my tuition payments gave me access to tutors, and the necessary equipment and laboratories needed to succeed.  I took advantage of the resources and went to get tutored every day! No matter how I looked walking in or what others thought about me walking in every day, I still went!

In the spring of 2018, I graduated from Palm Beach State College with a degree in Communications. 从那里, I decided to continue to further my education at 凤凰彩票平台 I can honestly say that I have not regretted making this decision a single day. The 教师 of the 学生无障碍服务, and the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters truly care about the success of their 学生. 我的家人, 导师, 雇主, and amazing teachers are always offering their time to ensure that I understand different kinds of concepts, and how to 应用 them to certain situations. My advice would be to never, ever give up on your life!

2018年11月

奥黛丽·赫本, 一位英国女演员曾经说过, “没有什么是不可能的。, 这个词本身就在说‘我是可能的’。”. This can indelibly be Jennifer’s mantra “I’m possible” after being told many times that attending college was not possible for her.

I struggled at first throughout grade school with my disabilities. Being told at a young age that I was different than the other kids in my class regarding achieving the same goals, 让我很难接受自己. My reading was not on the same level as the other kids in my class, and my comprehension skills were weaker for my age group.  读ing at a lower level in turned affected my spelling ability. 在小学, I had an Individual Education Program (IEP), and this became a fixture in my academic profile throughout school until high school. I would leave class early and go to another class to get hands on learning from another teacher. I felt stupid and thought I was not able to excel like everyone else in my class. My friends would always inquired of me, 我要去的地方, and I was too embarrassed to talk about it. The older I got, the easier it was for me to accept who I was.  Everyone is different in their own unique way. People learn at different speeds and people excel at different rates. This is what makes people beautiful in their own way. 在高中时, I did not planned on furthering my education, because I was not sure that I was cutout for college. I was not academically on the same level as other 学生 at my grade level. Therefore, making the choice to get my Associates of Arts (AA) degree wasn’t easy. It took me a little longer to complete my AA, 但一旦我完成, I realized that I was capable of continuing my education. For the first time, I enjoyed learning and I had a goal that I wanted to achieve.

I am not the gr吃est at test taking; multiple choice questions have always given me test anxiety, and I do much better on fill in the blank questions. The extra time that is offered to me when taking an exam, helps me stay focused and not give up. I have learned to take tests from back to front [or bottom to top], which helps a lot. Even if I failed do well on an exam, I know that I would have tried my hardest.  Applying myself is all that matters and never giving up is very important. After finishing my AA in Criminal Justice at a junior college in Marianna, 佛罗里达, I enrolled at Palm Beach State College (PBSC) as a Biology major and later transferred to 凤凰彩票平台 (FAU). 我在2016年创办了FAU, and I am now a junior and will be graduating in the spring 2019 with a BA in General Science and two certificates, one in Environmental Science and GIS Mapping. 我现在是一名全日制学生, 但是我大学的大部分时间, I attended as part-time—focusing on one or two classes per semester. I believe that certificates are a gr吃 way to explore more options in learning about things that captures the interest. The certificate can then be used, if criteria is met, to fulfill any electives requirements. My GIS Mapping certificate also opened many opportunities for employment as well.

最近, I started volunteering at a local state park this past year and was offered a part-time position within five months of volunteering. Through this experience, I discovered the importance of volunteering. 志愿者ing will provide a foot-in-the-door, and it is the best networking opportunity for future success.  My end goal is to stay in the Park Service for a couple years, then 应用 to 佛罗里达 Fish and Wildlife. It is completely natural to change one’s goal as long as it is achieve in the end.

Finding an interest makes the work seem easy and the struggle worth it. As I look back on my journey and the path traveled, I would have never guessed that I would be completing my Bachelor. The feeling of accomplishment makes all the struggles, 所有的不眠之夜, 所有的咖啡都值得. Everyone has his or her own space and it is never too late to start and to finish something.

2018年6月