Eden Rapp – Shepherds College (Sully Drake Family and Friends Scholarship Award)

Eden is this year’s recipient of the Ruby’s Rainbow Sully Drake Family and Friends Scholarship Award. She will begin attending Shepherds College this fall.

Eden is an accomplished pianist who also takes guitar and voice lessons. In fact, her piano playing helped lead to her being crowned as Ms. Amazing and go on to final in the national competition. She is also a member of numerous groups, including Toastmasters International, through which she works on her public speaking skills.

As an active self-advocate, Eden has lobbied in Washington, D.C., for disability employment rights, and serves on the board of a self-advocacy group. She also co-founded another self-advocacy group called UpVoice, which is a book club designed to build better readers and self-advocates in a fun way. Eden also serves on the board of her local Down Syndrome Association. She also enjoys working at a local pizza restaurant, where she has been employed for more than two years.

In her Ruby’s Rainbow scholarship application, Eden wrote, “Four words that describe me: leader, self-advocate, hard-worker, woman of faith.” We see all of those incredible qualities in you, Eden! You rock!