'98 Washington Ambassadors

Jessie, '98 Scholar

Hi! My name is Jessie. I am going to be in a senior in high school in Washington state. I have Dyslexia and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). My Dyslexia slows my reading speed down and also makes writing difficult. This means I have to allot more time to complete school work and tests. I am interested in foreign languages and medicine. I am on my school's cross-country and track team. Running helps me reduce the stress which life creates. I enjoy ballet. I have been dancing my entire life and hope to pursue it in conjunction with my other endeavors in a collegiate setting. My philosophy is to not allow my disability to hold me down and instead focus on finding alternative methods, learning from it, and compensating in other areas. I use computers every day for school. I use Dragon Dictate software to expedite my writing. My spoken grammar in significantly better than my written. Last year I began to learn about digital video. I made two videos for school projects where I learned some editing skills. Thank you DO-IT for this opportunity in the program. I have gained and achieved so much in these past years. I am now more confident academically.

Matt, '98 Scholar

My name is Matt. I'm going to be in the 12th grade this fall in high school in Washington. I like doing high school Knowledge Bowl. My disability is a mobility impairment. I like all kinds of science and math. I love to dance, read books, and have long conversations. DO-IT is one of the best things that I've participated in because it has opened up many doors of opportunities for me.

Chris, '98 Scholar

My name is Chris. I am 17 and live in Washington. I have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Dyslexsia, and Dysgraphia. I will be a senior in high school this fall. I enjoy chatting, hanging out with friends, playing pool, and cracking jokes.

Silas, '98 Scholar

My name is Silas. I am 17 years old and will be a senior in high school in Washington state. I have a visual impairment. In my spare time I enjoy playing video games. In the future I would like to program or design computer games.

Arnell, '98 Scholar

Hi. My name is Arnell. I will be a senior in high school in Washington. My disability is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and I don't remember things that well. I enjoy math. In my spare time I like listening to Prince's music and doing stunts on my bike. I am getting experience working with graphic arts, a career I might pursue in college. The computer and the Internet help me do school work.

Katrina, '98 Scholar

My name is Katrina. I graduated from the Secondary Academy for Success in Washington state. This fall I plan to attend Cascadia Community College in Washington. My disability is a traumatic brain injury from a bike accident at the age of five. My interests include history, science, and especially geneology. I enjoy helping others through difficult times by sharing my experiences and being a positive example. I work for an organization called Think First, promoting the use of bike helmets and seat belts. I am very involved nationally with the National Youth Conference for Youth With Disability and the President's Committee for the Employment of People with Disabilities. I was an Intern in Summer Study '00.

Eddie, '98 Scholar

My name is Eddie. I will be attending Spokane Falls Community College in Washington this fall. I am also involved in Future Homemakers of America (FHA), Future Farmers of America (FFA), and Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). I want to become a teacher so I can help kids that have the same problems that I have.

Shavonne, '98 Scholar

My name is Shavonne and I am 19 years old. This fall I will be a freshman at the University of New Orleans, where I plan on earning a degree in psychology. I live in New Orleans, Louisiana where I have been diagnosed with glaucoma, an eye disorder. For fun I like writing poetry, reading books, and acting.

Chanon, '98 Scholar

My name is Chanon. I live in Wisconsin. I attend the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, majoring in psychology, and with a possible minor in English. My disability is Cerebral Palsy. Some of my interests are writing short works and poems and performing modern and ballet dance. I received four different writing awards on short pieces that I have composed. Last year, I was given a dance scholarship to go to the Cleveland Ballet Dancing Wheels adult workshop held in Ohio. DO-IT is a wonderful program for students like myself, who have disabilities and are seriously considering higher education.

Marissa, '98 Scholar

Hi all! My name is Marissa. I am 19 years old and live in Des Moines, WA. I am starting my second year at Highline Community College in the fall. My major is Computer Science. I love to hang-out, chat online, shop, listen to music, and write poetry. I want my career to involve computers and maybe on the side I'll write books of poetry. I look forward to DO-IT every summer because I get to rekindle old friendships as well as make new ones, learn from my experiences, and, most of all, have a BLAST! I hope I can continue to share my experiences with future Scholars in hopes that they will have as much fun as I have had! I was an Intern in Summer Study '00.

Justin, '98 Scholar

My name is Justin and I graduated from high school in 1999. I live in Washington. After taking a year off I will be going to college. At home, I like to play computer games and go online and talk to my friends. I like to go for walks and go bowling. I also like to go camping and fishing. I would like to become a computer programmer. My disability is Cerebral Palsy.

Crystal, '98 Scholar

My name is Crystal and I am 18 years old. I live in Oregon. I am visually impaired. This fall I plan on attending a community college in the Portland area. I enjoy being around my friends in my free time, but I don't get much of that. I love football, movies, and music. I am studying juvenile justice at my summer job at the Juvenile Justice Center.

Reginald, '98 Scholar

Hello. My name is Reginald and I have Attention Deficit Disorder. ADD makes it hard for me to pay attention and stay focused on whatever I am doing. I am 18 years old and I live in Georgia. I like to talk to girls, swim, play soccer, be in the band, and, most of all, make people laugh. There's nothing better than a well-placed joke. I am a sophomore at Fort Valley State University, majoring in biology. This summer I am working as a lifeguard for Children's Friends Daycare.

Khrystal, '98 Scholar

I live in Washington. I graduated last year from high school. I enjoy being with kids and playing sports such as volleyball, basketball and things in that area. I am a full-time mother now and plan to go to college next year. My disability is Dyslexia.

Michael, '98 Scholar

My name is Michael; I am entering my second year at the University of Alberta. I'm working toward a science degree, with plans to become a pediatric psychiatrist. I am 18 years old. My disabilities are learning disabilities (LD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), neuromotor deficits, central auditory processing difficulties, Dysgraphia, and Dyslexia. My interests include computers, video production, other multimedia, disability issues and advocacy, behavioral sciences, public speaking, debate, having fun with friends, writing, drawing comic strips, dancing, and singing. My word to the wise is: Don't block your time, it is your inspiration; time is very precious, use it wisely, Godspeed. I was an Intern in Summer Study '00.

Todd, '98 Scholar

My name is Todd. I graduated from high school and will be attending Shoreline Community College this fall. I plan on studying music at school and I play the bass in my band, Suvunit1. I live in Bothell, WA. My disability is Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). My hobbies include playing video games and Magic the Gathering (card game).

Nichole, '98 Scholar

My name is Nichole. I live in Washington. I will be enrolling as a freshman at Evergreen State College this fall. I will be majoring in radio broadcasting. I love swimming, waterskiing, painting, and talking. I have Dwarfism, Scoliosis, Kyphosis, and Metatrophic Dysplasia. I also have no cartilage in any of my joints, so yes it's very painful. I am in an electric wheelchair, but I can walk. I enjoy astronomy and cosmopology. I am bilingual in English, French, and ASL (American Sign Language). This summer I have been volunteering at the Sumner Family Center. DO-IT helps give my physical independence and college experience.

Corey, '98 Scholar

My name is Corey. I am currently attending Seattle Central Community College, in Washington, as a sophomore. My main field of study is in computer science and biotechnology. I enjoy carpentry, playing in my band, and spending time with my two dogs. My disabilities are Tourette's Syndrome, panic disorder, and Epilepsy. The Epilepsy causes me to lose consciousness and information stored in my head. Tourette's and anxiety problems have caused a number of social difficulties. The single most important benefit of my computer usage is that it allows my teachers to read my assignments-my handwriting and spelling are atrocious. Other benefits are being able to maintain organization (one of my biggest problems) and keeping me entertained (believe it or not, I actually LIKE doing system setup). I made my computer swear at my dad too!

Abe, '98 Scholar

Hi. My name is Abe. I am 19 years old and I will be a freshman at Northwest Christian College this fall. I am thinking about majoring in music. My disability is a visual impairment. I live in Washington with my parents, sister, and brother. I like reading, lifting weights, biking, playing the drums, and listening to music and books on tape.