Hey DC, You Look Gorgeous Today!

I usually don't write blogs that often, but when I get 20 texts and 5 phone calls from my friends and family in a day, I realized I needed to give an update.

DC has been awesome, I'm already in love with the city. There are so many museums, monuments and places to go here and I hope I have time to do it all! I absolutely love being in a city where there's so much national history. It's an indescribable feeling to stand where advocates once fought for minority rights during the Civil Rights Movement and know that political change started here. I also can't believe I'm living just a few blocks away from the White House...crazy!

I love how my roommate is also a Trinity 2013 grad (shout out to Trinity and Brianna Gross)! There are at least 6 frats and sororities around us, so it's like we never left college. We're both interning through the American Association of People with Disabilities, but working for different agencies. We've had orientation with 28 other interns with disabilities before we embark on our internships this summer. I have absolutely loved getting to know these interns. We've formed a great community and I've learned so much about my friends here who have disabilities such as autism, deafness to navigating DC blind. These interns are awesome.

The only adjustments I've had to make here is learning the metro. Here's some advice that I've learned- don't drive your scooter in the metro car while it's moving because it feels like deep sea fishing. And another thing is to park your chair in the direction of the metro car, that will help also. I'm just a New England girl adjusting to this metro thing! I start interning on the Hill next week. Wish me luck that I get this metro down before I start!

I'm beyond excited to see what this summer will hold and it's just the beginning. Yes, I'll get back to those calls and texts ASAP!


And FYI Mom, I did the dishes tonight. Be proud.

I Swear I Lived

I just handed in my last final paper for my undergrad career.

I keep thinking that one of my professors will email me saying that I never submitted an annotated bibliography, my final papers or that I have to redo my thesis. I'm still on "work" mode, but I think I'll realize that I'm done with college once a diploma is in my hands. :)

Let's look back on senior year (which was awesome) with "did I really."

1) Did I really dress up as a pink cupcake for Halloween?

2) Did I really buy a life size cut-out of President Clinton and carry it with me everywhere on campus?



 

And put him on the back of my scooter?

 

 

And get a photo with President Jones (President of Trinity College)?

 

(He folds)

 

 

Yup, that was pretty awesome.

 

 

There are countless experiences I look back on this year and I'm just in awe. Like, going to the Clinton Global Initiative in St. Louis this April for A Day in a Wheelchair. If you have ever lost hope in humanity or for future generations, I'd advise to go to one of these events. I have never felt so inspired and empowered by sitting in room not only with President Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, Jack Dorsey and Stephen Colbert, but with 1,000 other college students who already are addressing current issues in our world. I will never underestimate the power and hope I have for my generation. What an incredible experience.

 

I never would have thought that my senior thesis would lead me to a new passion and direction for my future. Researching, writing and interviewing others regarding disability rights has lead me to a new path. In conjunction with A Day in a Wheelchair, the message of disability rights as human rights is spreading to college students. I recently spoke at Manchester Community College about our project and I made it clear that our ideas have the potential to change current issues if we believe in them. I never would have thought that one, simple idea I had as a junior in college would turn into a journey involving empowerment and changing social perspectives.

 

 

No words can truly describe my college experience, but the song, "I Lived" by OneRepublic comes close. It's bittersweet and exciting at the same time to embark on to the next phase in my life. I've loved my time in college- from professors, the academic and social life to the amazing people I've met along the way.Throughout the joys and disappoints, I've truly embraced every moment.

 

 

  

 

 

For more info on what I've been up to check out...

- Huffington Post's "Racing Against the Odds"

- My blog post on disability inclusion for Knowledge Aid

- Trinity College's "From World-Class Swimmer to Full-Time Scholar"