Given the recent victory against Penn State football, I think it’s only right I put a spotlight on my alma mater, Temple University. Drawn to the school by its urban location, diverse student body, and honors program, my years as a Temple student (2007-2011) will go down as some of the best years of my life, albeit it didn’t start smoothly. I’ll never forget my first week of college I was rushing from one building to the next because I only had ten minutes between classes and my front left tire completely fell off my chair. Luckily I didn’t tip over. Giving up never crossed my mind, but it sure was a hell of a way to start freshman year. It was only the first week and I was already getting acquainted with campus police as they had to help me with my chair. Thankfully my experience took a turn for the better. Ironically enough, though, what made my college experience extraordinary in my eyes was that my peers finally saw me as ordinary in their eyes. I’ll explain… 

All through grade school I had a one-on-one aide to help me out. He or she did things like help me use the restroom, set up my books and take notes in class, and feed me lunch. You get the idea the aide was with me 95% of the school day, not that I’m complaining. Their help in school enabled me to succeed and I am grateful, but, in retrospect, it was difficult for me to connect with my peers in a meaningful way with an adult usually at my side. Don’t get me wrong, people were nice, but it wasn’t like Bobby was going to come talk to me about how they had a party at Kate’s house when her parents weren’t home and how Julie spent the night in the closet sucking face with Tony while Tommy and Eric were smoking a cigarette they stole from his grandparents’ house… With an adult right next to me listening to every word. What I mean to say is that my friendships in high school weren’t that personal. It just didn’t happen. 

 In college I was on my own, for the most part. I had no aide in class; instead I took notes on my iPhone or photocopied another student’s if I had to. Also, the nice thing about college was that professors put their presentations online so sometimes it wasn’t even necessary to go to class let alone take notes. But I enjoyed classes and being out and about on campus. It gave me a chance to spend time with friends and meet new people, and not only did I hear about all the parties but I was invited and I went. Some of my favorite memories in college happened because I made reckless decisions with friends. I can recall the first time I indulged in adult beverages I ended up doing snow angels in my dorm’s courtyard. Never thought I’d do that before!

Before the Snow Angels…

 
 I made my fair share of good decisions, too. I pursued an opportunity on a whim that led me to my first internship, got super involved in extracurricular activities, and made the best friends of my life. My friends accepted me for me, including my limitations. My friends would occasionally feed me a meal, frequently help me go to the bathroom, and always relay their observations of my man parts to the girls on campus. For some reason I could never weave that into conversation naturally. Probably the biggest burden my friends had to bare when I was around, though, was carrying my 400-pound wheelchair into townhouses whenever we’d go to a party off-campus. Needless to say most nights ended with hugs all around. I love my friends.

 

My Co-Workers and I in DC

 
I know you’re probably thinking there’s no way I went through school relying on friends with no hired help, and you’re right. Thanks to Uncle Sam I was provided nursing care overnight and aide services for part of the day similar to now. This was a big adjustment for me back then. Prior to college, my mom was my “caregiver.” She bathed me, dressed me, fed me, drove me places… She did everything. Now all of a sudden I was having random women come in and take care of me, and I say “random” because I had many different aides before I found one that was reliable. Having nurses and aides taught me how to work with people of all different walks of life, though. It also taught me to teach as I had to talk them through how I like things done. Eventually my aides became like friends of mine, but they mostly just assisted me in my dorm room.                    

Overall, Temple gave me the space I needed to grow and disable my limits. Learning to live independently and do things on my own gave me the confidence to pursue bigger and better opportunities like internships on Wall Street and Capitol Hill, and finally a career post-graduation from college. Ultimately, learning to live independently and be a contributing member of society has made me believe I can overcome any obstacle and disable any limitation, which is the basis for

[dis]ABLE. Thankfully Temple is recognizing the impact of this brand in its World Without Temple PR campaign. I’ll post the video footage when it becomes available. But, until then, root for the Cherry and White to have an undefeated football season!