18
Photo Essays and Selections from Student Leadership Conference 2019
Breana Whittlesey, Kaelan Knowles, Elise McDaniel, Kenneth Kelty, Katie Bartlett, and Rachel Mast
Rachel Mast
- College to me means:
- College means to me to focus on college and to be on top of things. I need to work on skills and independent living. Do your homework and always show people around on campus. Can stay in dorms. It is cool to be at college.
- What is your favorite class in college? And why?
- My favorite classes are acting, hospitality class, and my academic class. We do a lot of cool work in acting and do hospitality job skills.
- One rough thing that happened in college was:
- It was rough for me because I have roommates [who] did not include me to do things with them. It was rough and hard, and I was upset that beginning year. I felt abandoned from my roommates last year, and they let me do nothing with them.
Elise McDaniel
- What College Means to Me:
- College to me means that I can be independent in different ways. My name is Elise McDaniel, and I am from Knoxville, Tennessee, and also in the FUTURE program at the University of Tennessee. So the FUTURE program introduced a pilot program of housing and now I am part of that. When I first heard of this, I started crying (happy tears). I also had mixed feelings about this. Then I started to move into my dorm. My brother, Cole, moved to Berry College, and I miss him. These are big changes in my life. Before my parents left, I started crying (sad tears). Then I got over it. Now I am independent, like calling a bus that I take every day, going to eat by myself, walking around campus, and making forward plans. I also stay involved around campus, like Boss Dance, Best Buddies, and Student Government Association. If I hadn’t gone to college, I wouldn’t be able to live in a dorm and live by myself. College means a lot to me. I get to take classes and internships. Lastly, I am going to get a job someday. All because of college.
Kaelan Knowles
- One rough thing that happened in college was . . .
- One of the rough things that happened to me in college was when I was in my conflict resolution class. We had a group project, and one of the students in my group decided to change the Google Docs PowerPoint altogether. Furthermore, this made me feel a little frustrated since she was not part of the group meetups. Soon after, I got to look over the PowerPoint and did the best I could to understand the changes she made. Before the next day, I talked with my friend, and he helped me calm down and I was able to approach her with respect.
From the Photo Essay
The following are transcripts of the handwritten text in the accompanying photo essays (Figures 18.1–18.4).
Kaelan Knowles
My Thoughts
- 1st. When I first came to college I wanted to be an animator.
- 2st. 2nd year, I wanted to be an international business major. こんにちは (Hello)
- 3st. Still international. 日本ご (Japanese language)
- 4st. 한국어 (Korean language) Then my fourth year I decided to become a tutor for people in South Korea.
I say this all to say your major can change throughout college is true and you can do anything when you set your mind to it.
I chose this picture because this is me in Chattanooga and this is my first trip I planned on my own, so I say again you can do anything.
감사함니다 (Thank you)
どうもありがとございます。(And thank you very much)
Figure 18.1. Kaelan Knowles
Breana Whittlesey
Hi my name is Breana Whittlesey. I go to Kennesaw State University. My major is Early Childhood Education. I graduated from KSU in 2019. I’m a junior. I have ADHD. I get a lot of help in KSU. I love working with kids. When I leave KSU I hope I become a student teacher. KSU taught me a lot for the past 3 years. I will miss everyone when I leave KSU.
Updated from Breana
Hello, my name is Breana Whittlesey. I was born in Bronx, New York. I moved a lot. I went to Kennesaw State University for four years. I loved the help Kennesaw State University helped me. I felt like I had another family with the staff.
My experience at Kennesaw State University was the best experience I had because I had the best professors and the best mentors to help me with my classes. I made a lot of great friends, and they will all be missed because I finished at Kennesaw State University because I can’t go back and take classes with them again. I also got into a regular college for nursing in May.
Kennesaw State University will be missed, and all my friends I had, my teachers, and professors. I appreciated their help, even my mentors, for everything they have done for me. I try my best to come back and visit them. Hopefully, I can get a job with them some day and help other kids with disabilities.
Figure 18.2. Breana Whittlesey
Kenneth Kelty
This is a photo of me while at the international festival and was able to meet up with friends.
The UP Program was a fully inclusive program and campus. Near the end of my second semester I was able to convince the administration to make the schedule system more flexible because before all activities had to be planned two weeks in advance and no one plans all school activities that early. Flexibility is important.
To me college means growing and learning what you thought was not possible. Self-determination is a major about going to college.
Figure 18.3. Kenneth Kelty
Katie Bartlett
College means to me that being more independent and having a lot of time with my family doing things. What I need to do to get ready ahead of time. Could find a job and have a better life. School. Marriage—relationships. Job. Family—kids. Guitar—worship leader.
Figure 18.4. Katie Bartlett