Emma Bush, MSU senior, Tower Guard alumna, and president of the Council of Students with Disabilities, recently spoke at the Cystic Fibrosis Education Night hosted by the University of Michigan
Shantele Wilkinson, front desk reception assistant for the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities, was awarded the MSU Student Employee of the Year Award on April 12, 2022. Shantele has been a front desk student receptionist for the RCPD since September 2019 and has served as a pillar of support for anyone who has entered the office doors.
Every year, the MSU Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities recognizes the dedication and leadership of notable alumni who have made significant contributions to their field. The achievements of these alumni represent the importance of education and innovation. This year, Dr. Chad Klochko, M.D., was nominated by Virginia Martz, RCPD Ability Access Specialist, to receive this prestigious award.
Mandy Zuckerman, Tower Guard alumna from the class of 2020-2021, will be receiving the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities 2022 Student Leadership and Service Award for her contributions towards making Beaumont Tower more accessible.
MSU students take large strides in advancing technology for the ALS community. The team, consisting of Claire Kendell, Jessica Stevons, Sean Arnoldt, Don Gorton, Nicholas Boblet, and Brennan Koehler, sought to upgrade the original MSU SCATIR (Self-Calibrating Auditory Tone Infrared) Switch. The team was led and sponsered by Stephen Blosser, former RCPD employee.
The Futures Collection is a novel approach to note-taking and study skills. Comprised of three specialized notebooks, this system is designed to address barriers that students face as a result of their learning or psychiatric disabilities. Leah Ellis, founder of the LeahMonet Philanthropic Foundation, felt that creating an organizational system that focused on habit development, experiential learning, and conceptualization would guide student success. We are pleased to announce that the Futures Collection is now widely available at the MSU Student Book Store (SBS)!
Michigan State University’s mission is to advance knowledge and transform lives. One Spartan, through her participation and dedication, decided to uphold this university mission and take it another step further. From Tower Guard executive board member to co-president of the Council of Students with Disabilities (CSD) to a member of the Honors College and Social Science Scholars program, Jasmine J. has continued to focus on the intersectionality of racism and ableism, fighting for a higher quality of student lives and social environments here at MSU.
Leah Ellis remembers exactly what inspired her. “As a single mother and returning student going back to school, I noticed that when taking all the information in, it was insane. How are all these kids sitting here and looking at all these notes? I couldn’t keep up. I had to figure out a way to separate these notes.” This moment is what influenced Leah to create the Futures Collections, the next generation of educational tools to suit all course needs.
When MSU transitioned to online learning in the spring of 2020, the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD) sought to create an experience to virtually build a supportive community for students with psychiatric disabilities. Shelby Gombosi and Lindsay Hill, RCPD’s Ability Access Specialists, answered the call and created the Community Groups program, an opportunity for students to connect with other RCPD-registered students and stimulate conversations regarding the prevailing issues affecting their daily lives.
Michigan State University is an institution that strives for diversity and inclusion both at home and abroad.
With the help of the MSU Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities and an MSU Creating Inclusive Excellence Grant, one recent MSU graduate was able to contribute to these efforts by designing an improved method of teaching English to students with visual impairments. A recent MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) graduate and Columbian Fulbright scholar, Maritza Medina G. faced difficulties as a blind student when learning phonetics. She received a Tinker Field Research Grant from the MSU Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies and wanted to conduct her thesis research on phonetics through assistive technology’s universal design.
Tradition is a foundation of Michigan State University. Despite all the uncertainty, cancelled events, and difficult times of the past few months, the MSU Homecoming tradition remains an important facet of the Spartan experience. For the past 70 years, having the opportunity to represent MSU as a member of the Homecoming Court has been considered one of the highest honors for graduating seniors. The members of the 2020-2021 Homecoming Court were carefully selected from a highly qualified group of candidates and we are excited to share three special individuals with the Spartan community – Jasmine J., Kellie W., and Jordan P.
Every year, many MSU students look forward to spending their summer break attending an Education Abroad program, visiting exciting new countries, and learning about different cultures and languages. This year, however, the COVID-19 pandemic caused all education abroad trips to be canceled or postponed. One MSU student, Elaine P., however, did not allow her summer plans to be rearranged.
After three and a half years at Michigan State University and with a degree in Professional Writing under her belt, 2020 graduate Jill C. is looking forward to beginning her career. Having utilized the one-on-one guidance and professional preparation offered by the Bosco MSU-MRS Careers Collaborative (CC), she feels confident in her ability to identify jobs that align with her goals, and to navigate the interview process.
The Spartan experience is unique to every individual. Celebrating Homecoming, strolls past Beaumont Tower, and the endless late-night studying all can result in lasting memories, but for most people, the most lasting memory of all is Commencement Day. This year’s unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic caused a dramatic shift in how graduation was handled, but even so, Jenna Kesh, a recent MSU Alumna, found that her time at RCPD was the most memorable piece of her Spartan experience.
Arianna Dickason joined Team RCPD during her freshman year at MSU and remained with us in her role as front desk student receptionist for the rest of her undergraduate career. In May 2020 she graduates with a B.S. in Human Development & Family Studies and Human Biology, and as we say goodbye, we take a moment to acknowledge the years of service and the legacy of excellence she leaves behind.
Going to college is an exciting time no matter how you slice it, between pursuing a degree, meeting new people, studying hard, and being away from home (sometimes for the very first time!). For students living with cystic fibrosis (CF), attending college presents other unique challenges as well.
During the summer of 2019, RCPD student Ellie M. took part in an Education Abroad program to the UK, which gave her the opportunity to travel to many exciting locations around England. At the start of the fall semester, we got in touch with Ellie for a little Q&A about her trip:
One of the most exciting parts about going to college can be the opportunity to earn credits in another country by taking part in an Education Abroad program.
If you’ve ever watched or participated in a 5K, you know how much hard work goes into crossing the finish line. Now imagine running that same race but without food or water all day. On May 18th, 113 runners in Canton, Michigan did just that at the Fasting 5K – to raise money for students with disabilities.