Vanessa, ‘09 Scholar
Athetoid cerebral palsy, mild hearing loss
Graduated from Yakima Valley Community College. Works part.time as an office assistant for a dental clinic. Volunteers at church bible study.
2009 Scholars
Charlie, ‘09 Scholar
Dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, cognitive processing disorder
Graduated with a bachelor of arts in human services from Western Washington University. Interned at Days for Girls International in the homeless housing department as an assistant case manager and has helped veterans get their benefits. Has worked at Brigadoon Service Dogs for four years. Hopes to travel and empower women around the world. Plans to work with Americorps in Maple Falls.
Bilal, ‘09 Scholar
Learning disability
Graduated from Edmonds Community College with a degree in construction management. Works as a part-time computer lab assistant. Would like to be an orthodontist.
Reese, ‘09 Scholar
Orthographic dysgraphia
Graduated from Gonzaga University with a bachelor of science.
Anna, ‘09 Scholar
Brain tumor, left-sided ataxia, legally blind, seizure disorder.
Earned degrees in early childhood education, special education, and applied behavioral science. Graduated from the University of Washington (UW) with a master’s degree in special education in Spring 2018. Sits on the Special Olympics Committee at UW and planned the USA games in 2018. Presented research on universal design for learning at the Teaching and Learning Symposium at UW. Currently helps families of children with autism with behavior management. Plans to pursue a doctoral degree in disability studies and teach in the area of disability studies and perspectives. Received a 2015 DO-IT Trailblazer Award.
Ryan, ‘09 Scholar
Autism
Earned a bachelor of music degree, magna cum laude, from Central Washington University in percussion performance with a minor in aviation management. Principal timpanist with Northwest Mahler Festival and seated percussionist with Mid-Columbia Symphony in Tri-Cities. Attending the San Francisco Conservatory of Music for a master of music degree. Volunteers at SeaTac airport with the Wings for Autism program and at San Francisco International Airport with the Ready-Set-Fly! program and also with the United Services Organizations.
Louis, ‘09 Scholar
Dyslexia and dysgraphia
Graduated from American University with a bachelor’s degree in physics. Worked as a lab technician and researcher in the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory collaboration that detected gravitational waves. Working as a wildland firefighter.
Shelby, ‘09 Scholar
Spinal muscular atrophy
Graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in public relations. Works as the noon show producer at the NBC affiliate in Salt Lake City. Active on Twitter (@shelbs25), often tweeting about disability issues, politics, and the perils of being a young, working professional.
Allegra, ‘09 Scholar
Spinal muscular atrophy type 2
Took an online course from Penn Foster and is certified as a freelance writer. Does grant writing projects. Self-published an e-book called Knotted Strings. Blog can be found at allegrakeys.blogspot.com.
Sean, ‘09 Scholar
Becker muscular dystrophy
Graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in psychology. Has worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Exo Labs, and the Federal Aviation Administration. Works at Microsoft at the Disability Answer Desk. Received a 2017 DO-IT Trailblazer Award.
Leo, ‘09 Scholar
Spinal cord injury
Attends Skagit Valley College. Interested in a job involving video editing or animation. Has received over 350,000 views on his YouTube videos. Likes to learn about computers. Owns a beagle and would like to live alone in an apartment in a large city.
Josh, ‘09 Scholar
Muscular dystrophy
Graduated from George Fox University. Works to help folks with intellectual and developmental disabilities develop skills and experience to secure competitive employment.
Josh, ‘09 Scholar
Spina bifida, learning disability
Graduated from Clark College. Would like to be a youth pastor or counselor. Has two dogs.
Alex, ‘09 Scholar
Cerebral palsy
Earned an associate of arts degree from Skagit Valley College. Hopes to earn a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice or business administration. Works at Lowe’s as a head cashier and plans to become a store manager. Has been a member of the United States Business Leadership Network Advisory Council for the past two years working with businesses on improving accommodations for individuals with disabilities, including veterans.
Joey, ‘09 Scholar
Asperger syndrome
Earned a bachelor of science in electronics engineering technology with a computer engineering specialization from Central Washington University. Currently pursuing an associate degree in IT systems. On the CompTIA A+ Certification 902 exam, obtained a score of 852, which a proctor said was the highest score out of anyone at Green River College. Has worked as a software integration tester.
Abby, ‘09 Scholar
Blind with light perception
Would someday like to help the blind in other countries access technology.
Chris, ‘09 Scholar
Dyslexia, attention deficit disorder
Attends Portland Community College. Works at Cornell Farms. Favorite pastimes are hiking and photography.