Personal Narrative: My Relationship With Carly

Compassion, accountability, and determination are my personal strengths. I have experienced the joy and satisfaction of working with special needs children to expose them to art, and learned the importance of tolerance and acceptance. Additionally, I spent a week in a rural Alaska village of less than 300 people. Their culture and lifestyle opened my eyes to a social and economic class completely different from my own. I care deeply about peoples’ feelings, and believe that everyone should be treated with equal respect, irrespective of his or her disability, race, social, cultural, religious, political or economic background. I enjoy interactions with people from socially and culturally diverse backgrounds, learning about

It wasn’t like any other swim practice, no, not like any other I’d ever gone to. No one usually moved to Minot, North Dakota that was also in swimming, so when Emily Pitcher and her family moved to town and came to practice, it was quite a shock for everyone on the team. She moved from Colorado and she had 2 younger brothers and a younger sister as well. They seemed nice enough but there was something about Emily, who was my age, which seemed a bit off.

After her time at the habilitation program, she moved to Colorado. Her first job in Colorado was at the Rise School of Denver, which “provides services to children with and without disabilities through an inclusive education model.” During her time at the Rise School, the executive director of Adams Camp reached out to her and provided a job description that immediately captured her interest. She rapidly transitioned into the Adams Camp environment and found her home. Jordan has the opportunity to serve 350 families every year in both Adventure Camp and other therapeutic programs that is offered by Adams Camp. But, it hasn’t all been an easy road for her at Adams Camp. She voiced, “With an aging population, we are tasked with creating age appropriate services for all. The other challenge is finding more empowering opportunities for our population.” Most people with developmental disabilities can live a long and fulfilled life, but their special needs vary by age. At the moment, Adams Camp prioritizes younger clients in order to prepare them properly for their futures. But because Jordan is so dedicated to improving the lives’ of others, she

Developing a desire to give back to our nation’s heroes led me to become involved with a Disabled American Veterans program that aids local veterans by offering them an opportunity to seek assistance for everyday tasks. Creating connections with a few of the veterans prompted an invitation to participate in their monthly chapter meetings where I discovered that our conversations left a lasting impact on me; hearing their life stories of successes and struggles is eye opening. Although a majority of group members has a disability from their service to our country, they remain the most humble individuals one will ever meet. Additionally, my time with these heroes wills me to become more intrinsically motivated in finding ways to continue to

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Deerfield had asked us to restrict all research reports and grant access only to invested clients. When you have a moment, can you please let us know if you are invested, and can we name you to the manager? Thank you in advance for your help.

After attending the debates my PAC held for the Mayor Group candidates in November 2015, a local business owner asked me to start a business association for the seven businesses in her complex. It was an interesting dynamic to lobby a commissioner on the minimum wage at seventeen. To speak about wage compression for businesses that make less than $300,000 in revenue per year is an exhilarating experience that taught me age is truly only a number. Additionally, I was able to create a Youth Commission with enforcement powers in the city. When Mayor Levine appointed me as chair, it gave me a body of my peers to implement youth policy in my city. This experience transitioned me from a child benefiting from policy decisions to an adult helping others with my legislative choices. The bang of my gavel can make a difference for every student in my city, a responsibility that made me a de facto caretaker of my

My mother taught me that a key factor to being successful is having the right tools for the job. I learned what that meant to me in my early years at Southern Illinois University. Growing up, I was challenged by Dyslexia. A disability that made school difficult. Until college, I found ways around it.

Hi could I please have an iced skinny cinnamon dolce latte with coconut milk please? My name is Courtney Travaglini, currently I'm in my cold home state of Maine. However you are about to learn is not my "home" anymore. My husband and I are stationed in North Carolina and have been there for the past two years. Thanks to Starbucks transfer program and love of the military I was able to transfer back to Maine during my husbands deployment.

I had the opportunity to interview a colleague of mine Brenda, who is a teacher in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing department at our school. Brenda herself is Deaf and was raised by Deaf parents, which benefited her greatly. She began at the Institute for the Deaf and Blind, now known as Montana School for the Deaf and Blind, from preschool to tenth grade. Brenda told me that by the time she had become a tenth grader the school district in Montana was more willing to accept a student who was Deaf. Before this time without the proper legislation like the IDEA law, school districts did not have provide free and appropriate education. Even though she was permitted to attend a mainstream high school, she only took elective type classes. She said that

Lauren and the others in her group are in a new situation; they have to survive out of the walls. Lauren said, "Everyone who's surviving out here knows things that I need to know... I'll watch them, I'll listen to them, and I'll learn from them. If I don't, I'll be killed. And like I said, I intend to survive" (Butler 173). She's always focused on adapting to new situations - but one key to that is learning from others and bringing a group together to support each other.

My Kayla responded well to the intervention. My-Kayla stated, that self-confidence is feeling secure of oneself and belief in one self and abilities. My-Kayla stated, helping someone, with no regards of benefit or being praised. My-Kayla stated, helping other, completing chores, being reliable, being honest, and caring. My-Kayla stated, cooking, reading, writing, and helpful. My-Kayla responded sometime. My-Kayla stated, being caring, showing the person compassionate, it give the person a sense of accomplishment, it make the person feel better about them self, and it helping someone else. My-Kayla stated, that she is a caring person. My-Kayla stated, riding her bicycle, reading, and playing soccer. My Kayla responded yes. My-Kayla stated, chore,

Every individual deserves compassionate relationships with others and deserves to have every opportunity at being the best version of themselves. I strive to help those who live with disabilities achieve this. Whether it’s helping a child grow in a positive and empathetic environment or assisting the elderly learn or maintain basic skills and become integrated with the community, I emphasize the individuality and skills they each have so they can live at their fullest.

As I discuss in my primary application, Best Buddies has opened my eyes to the struggles of disabled adults. By sharing time with my buddy and the entire organization, I have come to realize the value of the gifts I have in my life, and this has driven me to help my buddy to make his life easier. My experience as a college student has been filled with hard work and new interests, but my time in Best Buddies unlocked an entirely unique perspective that has altered the way I approach everyone who faces challenges, whether it be the disabled or patients battling disease.

I remember that it hurt, looking at her hurt. A beautiful line, no doubt, but I mustn’t take credit. I remember seeing her at her best. I remember telling myself that she would get better. I remember seeing what she would post on Facebook and pretending that I thought she wasn’t slowly killing herself. I remember seeing the blades sitting on her desk and throwing them in the trashcan and acting like they didn’t hold any significance, only to repeat the process the next weekend. I remember hearing her stories about falling out of that damned tree and telling myself, “Oh yeah. Those scars could totally be scrapes from the tree bark.” I remember ignoring the brokenness of her smile. I remember not doing anything about it, and I remember foolishly telling myself that it was all in my head.

It was Tuesday, July 18th. I was a nervous wreck. In desperate need of clothes to wear to impress... her. I begged my best friend Todd to join me at Woodfeild mall. He gave in and we went. Todd and I shopped for hours. Nothing looked good enough for...her. We were running out of time. I made-do with four short sleeve shirts from Champs and two pairs of sweatpants shorts from h&m. The total came out seventy dollars. We walked out and got into Todds car. I was shaking the entire ride home. Will she like it? Am I going to look fat? What about my acne? What if she doesn’t end up liking me? Nothing else crossed my mind as we pulled up to my house and I was dropped off. There was around an hour and a half until I had to leave. I walked inside