Danny Lawrence Email and Phone Number

"Why are you going to college? When you get your degree, who will hire you? Don’t you know that disabled people do not last long in a mainstream environment?" Despite these common questions asked of me, a totally blind individual, from my visually-impaired critics, I have learned to persevere.My perseverance began at my alma mater, the Missouri School for the Blind, where I became the national wrestling champion, a two-term student government president, and a Lions Club president. At St. Louis Community College at Forest Park, I maintained my perseverance as a Phi Theta Kappa member, an Honors Program student, and a student mentor. As a mentor, I provided peer tutorial and motivational support in the Academic Support Center and supervised a student lounge for Campus Life. Working hard in the classroom often earned me rewarding results such as having the highest test scores in my earth science course or leading a group presentation in a communications class. Perseverance led me beyond the campus to establish Just Like Me, a community organization for men with disabilities.People who persevere thrive on challenges. Extolled for its premier learning opportunities, intellectual rigor, and invigorating philanthropic efforts, Washington University offers exciting challenges for me to continue growing from my foundation of perseverance. I believe most problems can be removed without twenty-twenty vision because communication is the key to solutions. Thus, my academic goal to earn a bachelor’s degree in communications will provide me knowledge, skills, and experiences so that I can better address problems related to mainstreaming. I would enjoy participating in Washington University’s activities and organizations for individuals with disabilities. Also, I would like to be active in other campusorganizations to suggest means to reach individuals with disabilities at Washington University or in the St. Louis area. My academic and civic pursuits strengthen my professional goals. According to Erickson, Lee, and von Schrader (2017), the unemployment rate for individuals with disabilities is nearly 64 percent. I believe if you want a miracle, you must be the miracle to make it happen. Thus, my experiences at Washington University will help me become the owner of a small communications business that provides both training experiences and employment opportunities to individuals with visual impairments and other disabilities.It is often said that if you can see it, you can achieve it. However, can you achieve it if you can’t see it? My answer is yes!