Ronion’s Winning Essay:
Becoming an advocate and service to others in the disabled community is my purpose. Being born with mild cerebral palsy influenced my passion for becoming a mentor for disabled children. My condition did not allow me to have a normal childhood because I was restricted from many activities. Although I have progressed with support from my doctors and family, achieving my dreams has not been easy. I plan to launch a daycare and community center for young children that will allow me to support children who have similar circumstances.
My education will allow me to thrive in my career of molding children’s lives. I love the idea of teaching and guiding young children. They will learn skills to become successful individuals. My community and daycare center will offer services to assist them with any issues. The focus of my organization is addressing the needs of those with Cerebral Palsy and other development issues. The services in my organization will increase their overall development according to the needs of each child. My goal is to build a community for children to call their second home and view each other as equal while receiving guidance and resources to prepare them for the future.
I have also joined organizations at my university to receive concrete preparation for my future career and support important causes in the community. The Beacon Club advocates for disabled students on campus to promote that disability does not mean disabled, but differently-abled and within everyone’s ability to be inclusive. Similar to my mission of educating and guiding developmentally impaired children. I joined the Beacon Club because this organization represented me and my career goals to guide children. The Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization is an intellectual and service-oriented organization founded to inspire, educate, and cultivate knowledge. This organization helps members develop an entrepreneurial spirit and a dedication to the stakeholders of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette as well as the Greater Acadian region. Students gain insight through guest speakers, interaction with local businesses, workshops, and networking events. I joined the collegiate entrepreneurs’ organization to prepare me for the business portion of my career.
To achieve my dreams of launching a daycare and community center is not about gaining a career but transforming the lives of disabled children. Teaching children is essential because they are not influenced by their environment or society’s standards. Children are the future and should have access to an equal education regardless of their circumstances. So, guiding disabled children to success will become my mark. We will prove that a disability does not mean inability together and eliminate the stereotypes of the disabled community.