Two of our High School/High Tech students recently had the opportunity to present at major gatherings of professionals who work with youth with disabilities. In both instances, the students came away with a greater sense of pride and self-confidence, and their audiences came away with a much greater appreciation of what youth with disabilities are capable of accomplishing.
Abby Reznek
| Abby Reznek and her mother Karen talk of Abby’s experiences at NASA. |
On November 2, 2006, staff of the University of Maryland at College Park’s High School/High Tech Young Scholars Program gave a presentation on the accomplishments of their program to date. This presentation was part of a workshop at a Statewide conference in Ocean City sponsored jointly by the Maryland Division of Rehabilitation Services and the Maryland Rehabilitation Association. The highlight of this presentation was Abby Reznek, a recent high school graduate of Kennedy Krieger, and her mother Karen. Abby spoke freely about her disability and about what she accomplished through the summer pre-college experience in High School/High Tech. She took a 3-credit college course in Education Technology, and earned an A in the course. She worked for 3 weeks in a summer internship at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. During this internship, she developed a PowerPoint presentation about brain tumors in people who work near cell phone towers. She greatly enjoyed her experience at NASA and hopes to be able to return there as a full employee. She currently volunteers in the NASA Visitors Center 2 days a week. She received a great deal of support while in the High School/High Tech program at the University of Maryland, and overall felt it was a very positive experience.
Abby’s mother then spoke about her impressions of the program. Abby did very well in her first college course and received necessary supports through coordinated efforts of DORS and the High School/High Tech staff. Living in the dorm was a difficult adjustment but, again, supports were provided to help Abby succeed in this area as well. She felt the best part of the program for Abby was the internship, which Abby thoroughly enjoyed, and for Abby to see that she could successfully take a college course. Overall, both Abby and her mother felt that High School/High Tech was a very positive and worthwhile experience, and it has helped her to focus on her career choices.
Krista Beiler
| Krista Beiler speaks as part of a youth panel on transitioning from the students’ perspective. |
On November 30, 2006, a Statewide Transition Conference was held in Towson, sponsored by the divisions of the Maryland State Department of Education and the Maryland Interagency Transition Council. The purpose of this conference was to provide for training and networking opportunities for professionals, students, and parents interested in the needs of youth with disabilities who are transitioning from school to the world of work. Immediately following lunch, a panel of students spoke about their experiences as transitioning youth. One of those panel members was Krista Beiler, a senior at Northern Garrett High School in Accident, Maryland. Among other school activities, she participates in the Garrett County High School/High Tech Collaborative Transition Program. She attends Job Club every day, where she works on a variety of leadership and self-advocacy skills. After Job Club, she goes to her internship at Wisp Ski Resort. Through this experience, she has had the opportunity to learn about a number of different jobs at the ski resort – housekeeping, office work in human resources, food service, and operating high-tech laundry equipment. There is a job coach at Wisp through Appalachian Crossroads, and she helps Krista and her supervisor to learn how to best accommodate Krista’s disabilities. She is hoping to gain experience as a children’s ski instructor this year, which will help her to decide if she wants to be a preschool teacher or a certified nurse’s assistant after she graduates from high school.
Beyond the work experience, she has been able to practice filling out college applications, has learned about financial aid for college, and about her options at Garrett College. She has learned about her own strengths and weaknesses, and what she needs to work on for a successful transition from school to work. She has participated in her IEP meetings since she was 16 years old and has been very involved in her own transition planning. As a result, she has learned how to set long-term goals for herself and to determine what she needs to do to reach those goals. She appreciates all of the support she has received through this process, from her parents, school personnel, DORS staff, and High School/High Tech. As a result, she feels that the transition process has been a very smooth process, and is confident in her abilities to succeed in the work world.
| Krista prepares for her speech with job coach Lisa Jones. |
Congratulations to both of these fine young women! They both demonstrated strong leadership and youth development skills in their presentations, and are both well on their way to a successful future.