Take Charge with Confidence and Self-Reliance

Tag: graduation

  • Tabea: I didn’t know I would grow in the ways that I have

    by

    Dan Burke

    Tabea grins as she holds her bell of freedom

      Tabea’s time in the spotlight came on March 12 when her travel instructor David Nietfeld presented her with her Bell of Freedom. “When Tabea first got here her sister Sarah was finishing up,” David said. “For a while it was kind of the Meyer Show. Some might have been tempted to wonder how Tabea…

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  • Marcus: Flourishing as an Independent Blind Person

    by

    Dan Burke

    Marcus receives his bell

    “I knew you would flourish here,” Julie Deden said to Marcus at his bell ceremony on February 5. “When you came down from Montana for a tour with your Dad, you were so interested and excited about everything.” Marcus worked as a journeyman electrician in Montana before becoming blind two years ago. He operated his…

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  • Daniel: To Be the Best Blind Guy You Can Be

    by

    Dan Burke

    Daniel smiles and rings his bell

    “You really raised the bar,” Julie Deden said of Daniel’s graduation meal on March 4. “I think this is the biggest grad meal we’ve ever had.” She didn’t mean just the number of guests Daniel served – there were 80 in all – but because he cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner for those 80 guests.…

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  • Jenny’s Bell: Of Brussels Sprouts and Self-determination

    by

    Dan Burke

    Jenny C. ringing her Freedom Bell

    “Jenny is a woman who is very creative and unique, and you may find yourself experiencing things you’ve never experienced before when you spend time with Jenny.” That was Julie Deden’s remark on January 20 as she prepared to present Jenny with her Freedom Bell. It’s very true, because it was elicited by the fact…

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  • I Came to My Future: Vicki

    by

    Dan Burke

    Vicki gives her Freedom Bell a vigorous ring

    “Vicki’s coming out of this ready to go,” observed Robert at Vicki’s graduation on Januray 8, “and the rest of you are going to have to work to keep up.” He was right about that. Vicki came with the intention of squeezing out every last drop of opportunity and learning. “This was a long time…

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  • Penny’s Bell: You Encouraged Me & Wouldn’t Give Up on Me

    by

    Dan Burke

    a woman rings her freedom bell, smiling broadly

    Penny received the first Freedom Bell awarded in 2016 on January 7. The first thing she did after ringing it loud and proud was to thank her husband Rick. “You encouraged me and you wouldn’t give up on me,” she said after serving her grad meal to 60 guests, which included other family members and…

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  • Salem: The Confidence to Succeed

    by

    Dan Burke

    Young woman in sleepshades pours a sauce into a hotel pan

    Salem worked for two years to be able to come for training at the Center. She loves Braille, and more than once praised her Mom for insisting that her daughter be taught Braille when she became blind in middle school. After high school and a stint in college however, Salem began to realize that she…

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  • Jerad Goes Paleo, Goes to College

    by

    Dan Burke

    It was “paleo man’s” turn on December 3. That refers to his diet and his grad meal, for the record. “was that a great meal?” exclaimed Kimberley, who presented Jerad with his Freedom Bell. “I want to thank you for kicking my behind every day of my program,” Jerad told his instructors. For their part,…

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  • The Gentleman from Missouri

    by

    Dan Burke

    Curtis was the perfect gentleman as always during the love session at his graduation. He simply said “Thank you” with a grin, and continued to soak up all the praise and affection heaped on him by his fellow students and instructors. The praise is easy to understand. He cooked a great meal – feeding the…

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  • Ahimsa’s Celebration

    by

    Dan Burke

    student showing lettering "Life the life you want!"

    It was definitely a day to celebrate when Ahimsa graduated on November 12, 2015, and she was more than ready! She came away from her training with a positive sense of herself as a blind person and the satisfaction of knowing that she pushed herself through many barriers to reach this day. Her extraordinary laugh…

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