Phase II Scholars

Rachel

My name is Rachel. This next school year I will be a senior in high school in Richland, WA. Yes, that is where the Hanford nuclear bomb site is located! I have not been told if I glow in the dark or not, so I think I am safe! I live about 15-20 minutes away from my school. My disability is the result of an Arterial Venous Malformation that I had in the left side of my brain when I was twelve. I had two radiation surgeries and am hoping the AVM will be gone by next summer. My physical disability is due to a stroke I had in relation to the AVM. I type on a computer keyboard with one hand. My science interests are biology and yes, anatomy! I love the science of people; therefore, I would like to have a career related to people. Right now I am thinking along the lines of physical therapy with kids. I love little kids! I also like to horseback ride and do the normal teenage stuff like listening to music.

Mark

My name is Mark. I graduated from Ephrata High School and will be attending community college this fall. I have Muscular Dystrophy and use a wheelchair. I use Head Master so I can access the computer and the Internet using my head. My interests are astronomy, art, and writing. I have really been enjoying DO-IT!

Katie

My name is Katherine, but I prefer to be called Katie. I am 17 years old and will be a senior next year. I have been hearing impaired since birth. Even though I have a disability, I don't let it keep me from doing things I enjoy. I enjoy learning new things, especially in math and science. I also enjoy playing softball, ballet, driving my car, reading, marching band, and being with my friends. The DO-IT Program gives me information about careers in the science and math world. It also gives me a way to communicate through email since using the telephone is difficult for me. The Program has given me a fresh outlook on my future and I hope others will find it as useful as it has been for me.

Nhi

My name is Nhi. I'm going to be a senior in high school in Seattle, WA. The nature of my disability is Multiple Sclerosis. I'm now considered legally blind. The characters on my computer screen are enlarged so that I can see them. I was born in Vietnam and moved to the U.S. in 1984. I am the oldest of three children. I like to play with my computer; Tetris is one of my favorites. I also like to go swimming. I am interested in biology and environmental science. I am hoping to go to the University of Washington after high school. I don't know what to major in yet, but I might major in something to do with computers. My second goal is to go into science and study environmental issues.

Ryan

My name is Ryan. I will be a senior this fall at Redmond High School. I have a specific learning disability and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The computer helps me with writing and spell checking. I love all kinds of sports and I play soccer and do wrestling for my high school.

Lloyd

My name is Lloyd. I am a recent Lake Roosevelt High School graduate. I have a hearing impairment. I was born with my hearing loss but it was not discovered until I was about five. Sign language was my first language which is really surprising to some of my friends because spoken English is my dominant way of communicating. I will go to Spokane Community College this fall in the Electrical Engineering Technician program.

Randy

My name is Randy and I live in Lacey, WA. I will be a senior in high school. I am totally blind, with two glass eyes. Because of this disability it is difficult for me to obtain information for my school work and personal enjoyment. That is, it was difficult before I entered the DO-IT Program. My computer has speech output. With Internet access I have information at my fingertips. My interests include biology, computer science, and logical reasoning and with the Internet I can study these topics. But more importantly, I have all of the information for school projects. I no longer have to get help from fellow students to do my research papers. In fact, a few have even asked me for help.

Nadira

My name is Nadira. I go to Thomas Jefferson High School. I am a senior. I use a wheelchair because I have Neuropathy. My interests are music and computers. I would like to study computers in my college career, but I haven't decided what I want to be yet. I have learned many things from DO-IT while I was here last year. I learned what it is like to live in the dorm. I learned many things about different fields of science, math, and engineering. After being involved in DO-IT I have started thinking about my goals and my career more seriously. I learned about people with different disabilities and I am learning more about them by talking to them through email.

Rodney

I'm Rodney from Puyallup, WA. I graduated from Rogers High School in June of '94. I work in the Adaptive Technology Lab at the UW and am seeking a second part- or full-time job. Having a computer and access to the Internet are valuable tools in my life. All work that I do is with the assistance of a computer. Being part of DO-IT has given me some neat opportunities. Most notably, I like the 2 week vacation every year! I also value my Internet account and the friends I have made that I would not have met were it not for this program. I have little functional use of my hands so I use a mouth stick and easy access software to use a computer.

Eric

My name is Eric. I live in Medford, OR and will be a senior in high school. I am blind. My hobbies are computers and 2-way radios. I have a PC system with speech output that I use for communicating on the network and doing my school work. In addition to the computer, I have my own 2- way radio. My ultimate career goal is to work with the media. I want to go to community college and study radio or television. I might transfer to a regular 4-year college. My ultimate goal is to own a radio station. The DO-IT Program is helping me get in touch with other disabled people. It not only helps us learn about science and engineering, it also helps us deal with our disabilities.

Anna

My name is Anna. I recently graduated from Nathan Hale High School in Seattle, WA and will be attending the University of Washington this fall. I earned a 4 year full ride NASA Space Grant Program academic scholarship. I plan on majoring in Cellular and Molecular Biology, then eventually Genetics. I have been totally blind for about 13 years. The computer adaptations I use are voice output and screen reader. For fun I like to read, mostly science fiction, and I play the piano. I am also a loyal Mariner's fan! Someday I hope to ride the Space Shuttle.

Hollis

My name is Hollis. I am in the twelfth grade in high school in Ashland, OR. I have Cerebral Palsy and I use a power wheelchair. I also have impaired speech but I don't have a communication device yet. I control my computer with my wheelchair joystick and foot switch. My interest is in civil engineering. I like to compete in model bridge building and I fare very well. Ten years from now I hope to be employed as a civil engineer. I like DO-IT because it broadens my knowledge about college preparation. I also get to learn more about different types of disabilities. I mostly use email on the Internet but am very curious about other things I could access.

Matthew

My name is Matthew. I go to high school in Renton, WA. I am in the eleventh grade. I have Dyslexia, which is a learning disability where a person flips and switches letters around. It makes it difficult to read and spell. For sport I play soccer for my school and a lot of different sports around the neighborhood. When I grow up I want to be an engineer of some type. In DO-IT I have learned the advantages of the Internet and the computer. I have also learned how to deal with people who have physical disabilities. I have fun in DO-IT and will remember it for a long time.

Mitch

My name is Mitch. I will be a senior in high school in Wenatchee, WA. My primary disability is Spina Bifida. It is very minor, but the secondary condition, Scoliosis, has caused me to miss a lot of school due to surgery and hospital stays. My greatest scientific interest is genetics. I hope to receive a degree in molecular genetics and work for a bio-technology company. The DO-IT Program has exposed me to a wide range of careers available in science and given me the opportunity to experience first hand what it is like to be a scientist in some of those fields. On the Internet I have access to a whole world of people and information. This is an experience that I will appreciate for the rest of my life.