Speak Up by Brianna

Speak Up by Brianna - February 2014 Scholarship Essay

The author of Proverbs says in chapter 31, verse 8, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.” This is a short and simple quote, overlooked by many, that has affected the way I’ve chosen to live my life thus far. I grew up helping to take care of my brother, who has both severe autism and epilepsy. He is only a year and a half younger than me, is nonverbal, and has the mental age of around 3 years old. From a young age I became his protector, someone to be his voice for him. I found myself defending him when other kids made fun of him, and challenging adults who looked at him as though he had less value than other people, because of his disability. Though I naturally spoke up for my brother, I also began to realize that there are so many special people in our world that need someone to come along and “speak up” for them. I developed a passion for being an advocate for individuals with intellectual disabilities, and the above quote became one of my life goals.

In high school I got involved with job coaching kids with special needs during my lunch breaks, helping them to do small tasks around the school and being a friend to them in a challenging environment. Towards the end of high school and into my undergraduate career, I spent my summer breaks working for the Arc of Hunterdon with intellectually disabled adults. I helped them with small jobs and took them out to fun events in the community. In college I was involved with Best Buddies and helped to promote the “Spread the Word to End the Word” campaign to help students and staff become aware of the inherent value of people with disabilities and how using derogatory words in everyday speech devalues them. During my senior year, I became a friend to a 20-year-old girl with severe special needs. I took her out into the community about three times a week, helping her to gain social interactions, to learn, and to be involved with fun activities, even though she cannot talk. My time with her was precious to me and I hope to have made an impact on her life. I also chose to minor in special education and received a Certificate in Autism Studies so that I could continue speaking up for this population in my future career.

Currently, I am in the year between having graduated college and starting graduate school. Instead of jumping right into graduate school, I spent the beginning months of this year caring for my brother after he underwent major brain surgery to try to help his epilepsy. Once he started healing and went back to school, I began working in a school for children with autism. I am now a one-to-one aid for two children in the school who have particularly challenging behavioral problems. In my time with them I have been able to become an advocate for them, and I seek new ways to better promote their learning and help them to succeed. As I think about the future, my desire is to attend graduate school and pursue a career in occupational therapy. I want to use my interest in healthcare and my heart for people with disabilities to make a difference in the lives of many people who cannot speak for themselves. As an occupational therapist I will help individuals to attain their highest quality of life and independence possible. This scholarship would help me immensely in allowing me the opportunity to attend graduate school for occupational therapy and to continue living out the quote of “speaking up for those who cannot speak for themselves.”