Scott Conklin is in his second semester at UNCG Beyond Academics Program. He was granted a Ruby’s Rainbow scholarship in the fall of 2015 and we could not be more proud of his progress! I just got this update from his mom:
Hi Liz –
I’ve attached a picture of Scott in his apartment with his 1st semester award. In case you can’t read it, it says “Spartan Academic Excellence – Congratulations on achieving a semester GPA above 3.0 during your Fall 2015 semester at UNCG”
He is absolutely loving college life. He couldn’t wait to get back to class. We have been very pleasantly surprised at how much effort he has put into succeeding.
Thank you for your help and encouragement.
Cheryl Conklin
Well, if you could see my face you would see I am smiling from ear to ear. I say this all the time, but I love what we do so incredibly much and am so grateful to be able to help people like Scott on their journey toward higher education and independence. To see their prideful faces and to hear how these experiences are creating a brighter, more fulfilled and independent future for them just fuels my fire even more!!
His mom also had this to say about Scott:
“He is quite the man. He is 39 years old born in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. We now live in Whitsett, NC which is about half way between Greensboro and Burlington. Actually this move has been very good because Scott is getting the opportunity of a lifetime. As you probably know, he is beginning his first year at UNCG (University of N.C. Greensboro) and was a lucky recipient of a Ruby’s Rainbow scholarship. Scott has wanted to live on his own for a very long time. In fact, in Florida, many years ago, we were looking into it. They had a program at the local ARC. However, he developed a condition with varicose veins where they would just start bleeding profusely. It scared the living day lights out of him and he didn’t want to leave home. To this day he spends an inordinate amount of time looking at his legs with a flashlight just making sure they are OK even though he hasn’t had an incident in years. He was born with a club foot as your daughter was. He started with a cast and then shoes on a bar followed by rotator cables attached to his shoes. He still has some foot issues but nothing that really slows him down. He has a heart valve that doesn’t work probably but again doesn’t really bother him. He has a doctor that keeps a watch on it. He also has essential tremors which are controlled by medication so aren’t an issue either. Other than that, he is a pretty healthy guy. He had many strep throats while he was young until they took out his tonsils.
Here is Scott on campus with his RR Scholarship acceptance letter!
Scott is very social and likes to be involved in anything that comes along. He has worked for a number of years at Pizza Hut, Winn Dixie, Publix Supermarket, and in NC has worked at Chili’s for 5 years wrapping silverware. Our big concern when we moved here was that he wouldn’t have enough to do but that hasn’t been the case at all. We contacted the ARC in Greensboro where he has been involved with Job Club, an advocacy group, and a program called PhotoVoice (now InFocus). He has also been involved for several years at UNCG with a program called Peer Companion where he is paired up with a college student each semester. They hang out (one on one) during the semester doing such things as going to the movies, eating out, going to museums, and bowling. We also have social events in our community that he likes to help with. Everybody loves Scott and are always asking about him. Scott is a very neat guy and I mean that in more than one way. He likes everything in its place. If you move anything, you had better put it back exactly where it belongs or he will.
He started college last fall and is really loving it. He lives in an apartment with a roommate near campus. Every day he tells me he had fun. He hasn’t asked about coming home and doesn’t say that he misses us. If we do pick him up to take him someplace, he wants to make sure we are taking him back to “his place.” He’s had some issues learning his way around but the program has good support so he’s finding his way.
Scott’s speech isn’t the greatest and he has limited reading skills. We had a speech therapist for years in Florida to help him with his speech and reading skills. He can sight read common words but could never read a story. Writing skills are limited also. He does use the computer. He will look things up on Google, keeps a check on our electronic calendar so he knows what everyone is doing, checks the weather, and looks for programs on Netflix. He plays video games, watches videos and TV. He loves his family. He has a 5 year older brother and a 13 year old niece whom he adores.”
Well Scott, we are so proud of you and cannot wait for more updates and to see what the future holds for you!! Keep on rockin’ it Scott!!
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