Graduation

We have three graduations this week – Courtney, or C.G. as she has been known in her time at CCB, graduated on Monday, Suzie today, wednesday, and Ellen finishes on Thursday. All of them finished excellent wood shop projects last week. Ellen built a very nice bookshelf, and both C.G. and Suzie made the first sets of wind chimes students have made here. There must be something in the air … Well, the ringing of Freedom Bells, naturally!

Trevor definitely knows what day it is …It’s probably just a coincidence though that he’s baking 6 cheesecakes for his graduation March 30. It’s close enough for Pi Day though!

Shelby’s graduation on April 8 brought her parents and grandparents all the way from South Carolina, as well as a family friend who lives in Scotland.

“When we have students come to us right out of high school and stay for a full training program, we see so much growth in them. That’s certainly true of you, Shelby,” Julie told her as she prepared to present the Bell of Freedom. “For your guests, this bell represents a great deal of hard work – hard work that is rewarded with new and greater independence as a blind person. And you have worked so hard and grown so much in order to earn this bell!”

It’s almost impossible to think about Shelby without thinking of music, too. Her love of music led to the creation of a small, but impressive student choir. Shelby was the director, and they performed during the holidays for our Senior Christmas Party and at the NFB of Denver chapter party. In fact, they gave a lovely harmonized rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner” after the bell ceremony.

“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.

The guests included family members such as his Mom and Step-dad, brother, Grandma and Pops (all live in the Denver area) and his Dad and brother who traveled from Mississippi to Colorado for the occasion, as well as close friends from church.

That’s not all though – there were a dozen students from Rice University and their faculty advisor who were at the Center as part of their Alternate Spring Break, several recent grads from the Denver area, as well as our Tech Instructor Chris Parsons and her one-month-old son Jackson (Chris is on maternity leave). Of course, there were all the current students and staff.

“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 that Jenny had just served us all Brussels sprouts. Even more astonishing – we liked them!

“I know you’ll be able to do anything you put your mind to,” continued Julie.

Jenny became blind overnight about a year before coming to the Center for training. She felt lost, wondering what it meant to be a blind person and where her life could go.

“I couldn’t even think if I’d ever met a blind person,” she said.

“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 that Jenny had just served us all Brussels sprouts. Even more astonishing – we liked them!

“I know you’ll be able to do anything you put your mind to,” continued Julie.

Jenny became blind overnight about a year before coming to the Center for training. She felt lost, wondering what it meant to be a blind person and where her life could go.

“I couldn’t even think if I’d ever met a blind person,” she said.

A lawyer, she characteristically didn’t wait for answers to come to her, but started researching and reached out to the National Federation of the Blind of Kansas weeks after becoming blind. She soon met many blind people, among them Diane Hemphill, who offered her information, support and advice.

"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 close friends from church, along with all the staff and students at the Center.

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, his teachers neither confirmed nor denied how necessary that was, praising him instead for his skills and accomplishments.

It was all true. Though he came from Tennessee just out of high school, Jerad could always be counted on to lend an assist to any of his fellow students who needed it. And he worked hard to achieve his confidence and self-reliance, always remaining thoughtful and understanding.

Next for “paleo man”? College man!

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 throughout gave testimony to that!

Already an accomplished baker, she was always comfortable in the kitchen. As she prepared her graduation meal for 60, she hummed and sang along with her favorite show tunes, knowing that she was now also an accomplished traveler as a blind person, able to read Braille and effectively use assistive technology.

All these things will serve her well as she returns to New Mexico and goes on to her next training in college!

Zach’s day was Wednesday, October 28, a day to celebrate what he now “does” after nine months of training at the Center, and the confidence he has as a blind person for the things he will do in the future. The photo of him ringing his Freedom Bell above shows just how ready he was for that celebration.

Zach fought for nearly two years to get funding to come to the Center from Wisconsin. The real work started when he got here early this year, however.

When it came to the kitchen, Zach now has a long list of things he does and can do.

“You had a whole list of ‘I can’ts,’ Maureen, his Home Management Instructor, reminded him. “but you’ve turned that all around.. You can Mince and chop and do all the things you thought you weren’t going to be able to do – I’m so proud of you.”