Shy is not a word one would use today to describe Mary Tregoning; yet she insists she was quite reclusive in junior high and her early years of high school.
Growing up outside Chicago, Mary was an active, involved child. It was only when her family moved to a small Upper Peninsula town two days before seventh grade began that things became difficult.
Mary is blind; a result of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). As the only blind student in her small school district Mary forged many new paths.
A member of the drama club looking to get more involved, Mary approached the swim coach, hoping to become the team's manager. The coach declined, but offered Mary a position on the team instead, which she accepted.
"People were nervous around me because I couldn't see," says Mary, "but it got easier and I made new friends."
The swim team was just the beginning, however. Once Mary started crawling out of her shell, she never looked back.
Mary chose MSU because of its handicapper services and its good psychology department. She researched colleges independently with her high school counselor, applied and was accepted without her parents' knowledge. They had hoped she'd attend a small college near home.
"My parents raised me to be independent," says Mary. "But they're nervous about it."
Currently in her second semester as a graduate student in Student Affairs Administration, Mary has been involved in community and campus activities since her freshman year at MSU.
"It all started because I became friends with people in the (OPHS) office," Mary recalls.
As an undergraduate, Mary was active with the Handicapper Action Council (the first student advisory board to OPHS, disbanded in 1994). Two of the many issues the HAC tackled were campus transportation and radio station accessibility.
Mary also joined ASMSU, Women's Council and Project Impact. As an upperclassman she was a resident assistant for two years. In the residence life department she helped to interview potential graduate assistants and was one of a panel of students who presented awareness seminars and simulations.
Summers have been equally busy for Mary, who spent three summers working maintenance at Shaw Hall and two summers at Camp Tuhsmeheta, a camp for blind and visually impaired individuals aged infant to adult.
Over the years, Mary has slowly edged out of campus activism into awareness. She still presents awareness programs for residence halls and ASMSU, and she is also a graduate assistant in Hubbard Hall.
One might wonder how Mary finds the time for all of these activities. "I list the time commitments and find hours that are open that are not study time."
"Getting involved is important, not just to pad your resume, but to improve your grades and organization skills -- it's great socially, too!" says Mary, emphasizing that involvement seems to shrink the campus down to a manageable size.
"If you don't know where to begin, start with your RA, grad or complex director, or call ASMSU or Student Life," advises Mary. "Don't just think you have to be limited to handicapper issues; join the Ski Club, the Star Trek Club, Women's Council."
Mary admits that her earlier motivation stemmed partly from wanting to prove her capabilities, but says that can't be the only reason.
"When I got involved, I wanted to make changes, but not necessarily specific changes," she says. "I also wanted to meet people and do things, for myself."
Mary's current professional goal is to work with students with disabilities and eventually direct a university handicapper office.