MY STORIES:

• The potential effects of marriage for people with disabilities
• Jeremy Chatelain hasn’t let quadriplegia deter him from his goals
• Marriage equality for people with disabilities

MY BLOG: Having the opportunity to cover people with disabilities this semester has been eye opening and humbling.

I interviewed several individuals and there was a consistent pattern of positivity and making the best of their situation.

There is an old quote that said, “you make plans, and then life happens”. I find this profound because I believe we can get too caught up in the future and making plans that we don’t live in the now and enjoy every second we have.

I will never forget when Carly Fahey said “I see the cerebral palsy as one of the brighter and more fun things about myself. There’s never a dull moment and I keep a really humorous outlook on things.”

This proves that we can either dwell on the struggles or bask in the strength it can bring.

Meeting Jeremy Chatelain and hearing his story is something I will never forget. He truly overcame adversity and has accomplished so many things in his life, including fatherhood and working on his Ph.D.

I never would have learned about the in depth struggles faced by people with disabilities, marriage being one the biggest if not given this opportunity.

I also learned the importance of “good work” and revising, revising, revising. Your first draft will never be perfect but with patience and practice you can learn what to look for and recognize your flaws.

Although I won’t be looking for a career in reporting, I think this class helped to prepare me for a career position in the non-profit sector. I will continue to use my personal journal as an outlet for my creative writing and push myself up the excellence ladder.

ABOUT ME: Education and a college degree is something neither of my parents, nor siblings have had the opportunity to obtain, so for me this has been a key piece in furthering myself. I crave knowledge and thrive on the opportunity to expand past my current boundaries.

Last fall I decided to quit my job and go to school full-time in order to obtain my goals of a college degree, sooner rather than later. I enrolled in 20 credit hours and enjoyed every second of it. With this leap of faith I will be able to graduate in Spring 2014 with a degree in Mass Communication.
My ultimate goal is to apply my talents gained from a well-grounded background of education and experience, in a career position in the nonprofit sector. I want to make a difference and help build the community.

This class has helped prepare me for my future career by juggling multiple deadlines and learning the art of “good work.” Most importantly I have learned the value in revision and editing my writing to provide the most complete and accurate work possible.

I will continue to “Move up the excellence ladder,” in the words of Professor Mangun.

Filed under: Blogs & Bios, Student-Journalists |