易胜博官网

Andrew Strzykalski鈥檚 mother and father were battling more than the typical parental nerves when they dropped their son off at college for the first time this fall. Perhaps that explains how they spent their afternoon after leaving Andrew to settle into his new life as a student at 易胜博官网.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we left the campus after we dropped him off. We just sat in the parking lot all day,鈥� Andrew鈥檚 mother, Barbara, admits.

The nerves Barbara and her husband Gerald were experiencing were atypical because Andrew isn鈥檛 a typical college student 鈥� he鈥檚 one of the first students to take part in the new that offers fully immersive and inclusive higher-education opportunities to young adults with intellectual disabilities. Andrew is one of four students 鈥� three residential and one commuter 鈥� in the program鈥檚 inaugural cohort. 易胜博官网-4U is the only program of its kind in 易胜博官网.

Andrew had never before spent extensive time away from home or had to navigate a complex daily schedule of classes and activities by himself. How would he handle such a significant change?

As it turns out, his parents wouldn鈥檛 be the only ones who resisted driving home from campus.

鈥淎 few weeks ago we had a meeting where we told him he had to go home for the holiday break, and he just shut down and wouldn鈥檛 participate in the rest of the call,鈥� Barbara quips. 鈥淗e just loves it there so much. He鈥檚 more verbal, he鈥檚 more outgoing, he鈥檚 more confident. He has really just come into his own.鈥�

Such is the precise goal of the 易胜博官网-4U program, which has been more than five years in the making. It came to fruition thanks in part to individual donations and grants from the 易胜博官网 Charitable Foundation John Vance A.C.C.E.S.S. Fund, the U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education, the 易胜博官网 Council on Developmental Disabilities, the area agency system and the 易胜博官网 Department of Education-Vocational Rehabilitation. The program opens doors to a mostly traditional college experience that was previously closed to students with intellectual disabilities.

Students in the two-year program go through a separate admissions process and don鈥檛 earn a traditional degree, but are placed in classes that match their academic interests with the intent of starting them on a path to gainful employment after college. Along the way, they gain experience and life skills that are difficult to replicate in other scenarios.

"What's going on with these students, it's life-changing. They are experiencing a level of independence and academic success that many never dreamed possible."

鈥淣ow that we have launched and the students are actually here, it鈥檚 truly transformative,鈥� says Tobey Partch-Davies, project director at the . 鈥淲hat鈥檚 going on with these students, it鈥檚 life-changing. They are experiencing a level of independence and academic success that many never dreamed possible.鈥�

The early returns certainly seem to bear that out. Students in the program are immersed in 易胜博官网 life, living in residence halls, taking classes and eating in dining halls with all other 易胜博官网 students. They are encouraged to take part in extracurricular activities and explore all that campus has to offer.

They are supported through that journey by a network of people, including professors, residence life staff and, perhaps most prominently, 易胜博官网-4U staff members who coordinate and monitor student success.

鈥淲e see milestones happen almost every week,鈥� says Brianna Hayward, who coordinates Andrew鈥檚 experience. Andrew, for his part, seems to have settled in quite nicely, referring to himself as something of 鈥渁 celebrity鈥� on campus.

鈥淓veryone knows me,鈥� he says.

Dayna Hookway is a commuter student whose fascination with all things weather prompted her to enroll in an online course, elements of weather. She commutes to campus for meetings and occasional social opportunities, and the ability to focus her studies on something she鈥檚 so passionate about has already left an impression.

鈥淚 can tell you that this has opened doors for Dayna,鈥� says Dayna鈥檚 mother, Jackie Hookway. 鈥淭he opportunity came at the right time for her in her development. She鈥檚 ready for it.鈥�

鈥淚 really like my class, and my professor is awesome,鈥� Dayna says. 鈥淚鈥檝e loved things like weather and thunderstorms and tornadoes ever since I was seven years old.鈥�

"Being in a close-knit community and showing people that you can thrive there has allowed them听to really showcase who they truly are as people. These students are very independent."

Encouraging the 易胜博官网-4U students to explore courses tied to their existing passions and curiosities has played a significant role in their engagement 鈥� and aligns with the program鈥檚 goal of setting the stage for fulfilling career opportunities.

鈥淭he whole premise of the program is we don鈥檛 want these students to stand out as being different, we want them to fully immerse themselves into the college experience,鈥� says Karen Martin-Brown, who helps coordinate Dayna鈥檚 experience. 鈥淒ayna has said how much she loves her class. That鈥檚 the thing that really sparks her.鈥�

Andrew Strzykalski has a similar passion for nutrition and wellness, and he鈥檚 enrolled in one section of Amy Taetzsch鈥檚 nutrition 400 course alongside more than 100 other 易胜博官网 students. Next semester, he plans to take part in an independent study working with athletes on campus doing work around body composition, Taetzsch 鈥�09 says.

鈥淭he students involved in this program are going to gain skills and knowledge that will help them maneuver in the real world, both in the classroom and outside of it,鈥� Taetzsch says. 鈥淭he fact that 易胜博官网 is able to support that growth and development is really fabulous.鈥�

That same engagement has often carried over to the students鈥� living situations, as several of them have immersed themselves in residence life, making friends with classmates that share their hallways and participating in building-wide activities.

All three residential students live in the Upper Quad, where Brittany Cotton is the residence hall director. She says she鈥檚 enjoyed watching each of their individual personalities emerge and their confidence grow over the course of the few months she鈥檚 known them.

鈥淏eing in a close-knit community and showing people that you can thrive there has allowed them to really showcase who they truly are as people,鈥� Cotton says. 鈥淭hese students are very independent.鈥�

The impact of that growth and self-discovery has made an impression on more than just the students in the program, too.

鈥淚 think that鈥檚 powerful for our students to see,鈥� Taetzsch says of how seamlessly the 易胜博官网-4U students have integrated. 鈥淥ur 易胜博官网 students really need to be given a lot of credit for how inclusive they are, and this program will help showcase and continue to develop that.鈥�

Partch-Davies said the hope is to continue growing the program at 易胜博官网, but in the bigger picture the goal is to build capacity for similar programs at other colleges, so as many students as possible can take advantage of the benefits.

Those benefits will likely continue to reveal themselves for the students as they complete the program and pursue employment, but many of them have been visible almost from the start.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really given us a sense of how much potential he has 鈥� he鈥檚 more articulate, he has a natural curiosity about things, and there isn鈥檛 a challenge that he鈥檚 not ready to accept,鈥� Gerald Strzykalski says of Andrew. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just changed his life. He now has an opportunity for a meaningful career. Who could want more than that?鈥�