College Steps students and mentors hosted a game night in the LC cafeteria at NOVA Loudoun for Epilepsy Awareness Month. One of the NOVA Loudoun students, Rose Pleskow gave a short speech!
Student story: College Student, Vocalist, Firefighter
My name is Johnny Bairaktaris, and I have been a student in the College Steps Program at Norwalk Community College for almost one year. Currently, I am taking three courses at NCC; two of the courses are exercise classes, and the other course is a chorus class. Exercising is one of my passions; I work out every day and being in good physical shape is important to me. Additionally, I am passionate about singing. I have been singing since I was about 8 years old and chorus is something that I love taking. This past summer, I earned my Guard Card through NCC.
Since I was young, I have always wanted to be a firefighter; a job where I am helping people and saving lives is important to me. This past October, I was sworn into the Southport Volunteer Fire Department, as a active Volunteer Firefighter. Additionally, with the support of College Steps, I became a Probationary Firefighter for the Rowayton Volunteer Fire Department. I look forward to taking on more responsibilities for both departments. Every Thursday, at the Rowayton Fire Department, I participate in drills-- this is the highlight of my volunteer experience.
Open House at both the Annandale and Loudoun campuses
College Steps is a non-profit organization that partners with Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) at both the Annandale and Loudoun campuses to provide support for college/college-bound students living with social or learning challenges (e.g., learning disabilities, autism, developmental, or intellectual disabilities).
On Thursday, December 14th from 6:00-7:00 PM, we will offer an Open House at both the Annandale and Loudoun campuses. Please RSVP by December 8th as space is limited.
Register for the Open House at NOVA - Annandale
Register for the Open House at NOVA - Loudoun
Please contact Brya Emery, Director of Admissions & Enrollment with any questions at admissions@collegesteps.org or 802-578-0035.
We look forward to meeting you!
College Steps student at NOVA: Loudoun is a Rising Star
WASHINGTON (ABC7) —
Rose Pleskow is attacking life without boundaries.
"She has a competitive spirit, she wants to do better, she wants to go faster," said Denis Crean.
Born with intellectual disabilities and epilepsy, the Reston, Virginia, native competes internationally in open water swimming.
"My mom started swimming when she was pregnant with me, so I've been swimming all my life," said Rose Pleskow.
Pleskow trains with a group called WaveOne Swimming in the Potomac River at National Harbor, Maryland, with her mom right by her side.
"Just to look up and sometimes our faces meet," said Susan Pleskow. "It’s just pure heaven to me."
Rose is one terrific athlete, along with open water swimming, she’s quite the runner as well.
Back in 2011 at the Special Olympics World Games in Athens, Greece, she won the bronze medal in the 1500 meters race, which is just a perfect example of Rose being able to do anything she puts her mind to.
"When I won the bronze medal, I almost cried because I worked so hard for it," said Rose.
Now, she's focused on starting college and getting a degree.
"Don’t let the people in the past tell you that you can’t do anything because you can do it," said Rose.
Rose is definitely becoming a leader everybody should follow.
Financial Skills Workshop at Southern Vermont College
On Wednesday, October 11, 2017, Shelley Farris presented a "Savvy Spending Solutions" workshop at Southern Vermont College. This workshop focused on budgeting, student debt, building a credit score, and SMART financial goals.
Many thanks to Shelley Farris for coming to campus to teach us all so much about our finances; we hope to welcome her back next semester!
Autistic Scholars Fellowship 2018
The application for the Autistic Self Advocacy Network's scholarship program for autistic college students, the Autistic Scholars Fellowship, has been released. You can find that application and more information about the scholarship here. ASAN would really appreciate if you could distribute the application to anyone you think would be a good candidate for the Fellowship, or who might know someone that would be. Thanks so much for your help, and feel free to let ASAN know if you have any questions or would like to talk more about the resources ASAN has for autistic adults and college students!
College For All Town Meeting at CSU
Bernie Sanders will be holding a “College for All Town Meeting” at Castleton University on October 10 at 7 p.m. to discuss his legislation that would provide free tuition to all students who attend public colleges and universities.
The event will also be livestreamed on the Senator’s official Facebook page (www.facebook.com/senatorsanders)
Students in Vermont and throughout the country will be participating in their own events to join the Senator in supporting “College for All” legislation.
If you are able to attend, please RSVP with Senator Sanders’ office, by completing this form.
Future Quest 2017
I am happy to announce that registration is now open for Future Quest 2017! To register as a vendor please click on this link: http://www.futurequestgmu.org/
Also, please be sure to help spread the word to all parents, students and educators who would benefit from this fantastic event.
Future Quest is a FREE college and career conference held every two years for middle and high school students with disabilities, young adults with disabilities, their families, and professionals who work with them. It is organized by George Mason University and the Northern Virginia Transition Coalition. One of the largest events of its kind in Virginia, Future Quest features more than 40 workshops and 40 exhibits related to successful life after high school.
Registration Flyer
http://vcc.gmu.edu/FutureQuest/
Future Quest Main Information Site
http://www.futurequestgmu.org/
https://www.facebook.com/NorthernVirginiaTransitionCoalition/
https://twitter.com/FutureQuestVA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ffuturequest.gmu.edu%2F
Department of Labor Presentation hosted by College Steps at Southern Vermont College
College Steps at Southern Vermont College was very happy to host a jobs and careers workshop on campus. We are grateful to Melany from the Vermont Department of Labor for sharing her talent and expertise. To contact Melany for more information and resources:
Melany Letourneau
Job Center Specialist II, GCDF
WIOA Adult/DLW Case Manager
Vermont Department of Labor
200 Veterans Memorial Drive
Suite 2
Bennington, VT 05201
Transitioning to Adulthood
Report to Congress: Young Adults and Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder Transitioning to Adulthood
A new Report to Congress compiled by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finds there is a critical need for research and better coordinated services targeted to youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who are transitioning to adulthood. In anApril 2017 blog, we noted that about 50,000 youth with ASD turn 18 each year, with about 450,000 total aged 16-24 years old living in the United States today. A major finding of the report is that there are very few federal resources that specifically target youth and young adults with ASD transitioning to adulthood. A recent portfolio analysis from the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) also found that issues related to transition age youth and adults comprised only 2 percent of all autism research funding, both federal and private, in 2015. To learn more about the need for more resources for those with Autism, view the full report.