Reflecting on my last four years of undergraduate studies, I continue to learn that I can still be successful as a non-traditional student although I had some previous barricades towards my success.
Before coming to UTM, I have followed politics in the past fifteen years out of high school. I was often outraged when I see a policy that would affect my civil liberties as I have a disability. I felt that my long-term career goal should be to shape the scope of politics and to ensure that our veterans, senior citizens and the disabled are well-taken care of.
This was also a time where I had to evaluate experiences and situations that would be easy for me to approach and avoid experiences that would most likely to be biased towards me.
During the duration as a college student, I have continued to fight to get learning experiences that I would be most comfortable doing. In 2016, Ms. Tomi McCutchen came to my side to ensure that I would be successful as a news writer by occasionally taking articles that are related to my political expertise.
I have developed interviewing and writing skills within these last two years that have prepared me for life after college. I was proud to have the opportunity to have an experience with media credentials and being within a field where I cannot take a partisan position in the political arena because it makes me feel better.
Moreover, I want to extend gratitude to the Editorial Board for allowing me to assist in filling in some spaces.
I was often commended for my exemplary research writing and would like to thank everyone at the Hortense Parrish Writing Center for getting me started on my feet and making me more comfortable to avoid plagiarism in research papers.
I need to mention the rest of my UTM family for their contribution of ensuring that I was successful.
I would like to thank Jeanneda Gilbert and Wendy Elliott of Disability Services for ensuring that no one places anything negative within my studies. I would also like to thank Tenna Bynum of the College of Business and Global Affairs for standing up for me all the way and giving me pep talks. I do not want to leave out Dr. Ross Dickens and he deserves credit for allowing me to cover business stories and allowing into the Business family.
I would also like to thank Dr. Trisha Capansky for being my writing mentor and nominating me to present a paper at the Interdisciplinary Student Writing Conference. You have made me the person who I am at this point.
I would also like to thank everyone in Housing, who all have first got me on my independent feet. I understand that I am one of the outstanding residents.
I do not want to leave out the staff of Career Planning and Development. I enjoyed your mentorship as an intern and I am sure that I am “career ready.”
Last, but not least, I want to thank Dr. Chris Baxter for being my academic advisor for the past four years. I have had my ups and downs, but I realized that you were also my advocate and mentor all the way through. Thank you for selecting me to be your faculty scholar and hopefully I would be successful in the world of disability law.
I would also like to thank the rest of the Political Science department for being mentors, too!
I will continue to fight for my civil liberties. In the last several years, I have told people that “the war isn’t over yet, and it’ll never be.” This quote means that I must continue to fight for who I am until death and everyone else should do the same.
I may end up becoming a superhero for disability rights. The late Christopher Reeve said, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”
Very good, bright future ahead.