What are your hobbies? I like to work out; I like to listen to music and watch movies. I do karate as much as I have time for. Karate is my biggest one. It's therapeutic. It helps you understand more about yourself.

What has been your greatest challenge while at MU? Aside from the constant struggle that was General Chemistry, I would say that my biggest struggle was just coming to terms with the fact that things were going to take more effort and longer for me than they were for most people. But once I recognized that fact, then it was just a matter of doing everything, and then it just became second nature.

What would you like people to know about your disability? My disability is not who I am, it is a part of who I am. That is to say that I don't want people to recognize me by it, but in being forthcoming with the fact that it is a part of who I am I would rather be thought of foremost for my other attributes.

What would you tell a student who has a disability like yours? I would tell any student with a disability that they should try to recognize what styles of learning are strongest for them and try to hone those skills. However, they should be flexible because there are just some things in some contexts that won't necessarily easily fit into that style of learning. And there are things that just outright can't be changed. But for the most part, recognizing your strengths is what will allow you to save time and effort. By recognizing that some things can't be altered saves you some integrity about being overzealous in making ridiculous requests.

What advice would you give to a new student at MU? Don't be afraid to do the footwork. A lot of times there can be a disconnect between what should otherwise be a cohesive system and reality. Just because some facet of a particular subject is being undertaken in one place does not mean that there is not somebody looking at the same subject in another place from another angle. A great deal of learning to be successful is knowing how to find and bring these many views together and learn to examine things holistically.

In what way did the Office of Disability Services make a difference in your education? Working with the Office of Disability Services enhanced my educational experience in that it allowed me to concentrate on my course of study by providing an established manner in which academic accommodations were typically provided. While there was some degree of flexibility in how best to approach these accommodations, the fact that there was some established norms made it easier to put these accommodations in place rather than having to spend time haggling with individual professors over what type and the way in which those academic accommodations they would agree to.