Ahead: A Colorful Future

MIHEC Student Profile: Kellie Shaw

I’m going to the University of Delaware in the fall. They have a really good program for students with autism and intellectual disability called the Career and Life Studies Certificate. The program supports us in joining inclusive classes, clubs, and activities for students with and without disabilities. I will also have job exploration, training, and internships that meet my interests. I am currently in the “Bridge” summer program, which will help prepare me for my transition to college. Part of our summer homework is to find at least three clubs we want to join. I want to join the LGBTQ club’s Lavender Programming Board to plan events I’m interested in, like maybe a Pride Prom. I’m also interested in Special Olympics, Best Buddies, Epilepsy Club, and the Casual Video Game Club. I’m really looking forward to connecting with others and making new friends through the clubs.

I love playing video games and have loved art since elementary school when I started drawing and using oil pastels. Today, I like visual arts, especially photography, video production, digital art, and graphic design. I usually draw on my iPad in Adobe Creative and enjoy learning different parts of Adobe Creative. I like colorful art with a good mixture of colors and textures. I get to take an integrated required freshman class my first semester and I want to take an integrated visual art class second semester.

I’m hoping to meet a lot of friends during orientation week. I’ve already met one other person from my program through connecting with him on social media. I’ll live in a freshman dorm with a single room for my first semester. I plan to find a roommate for the second semester, though. I want to room with another trans man or maybe a nonbinary person—someone else in the LGBTQ community. And I’ll make friends and do activities with my floormates, like video games and karaoke nights.

I’m just a little bit nervous, but I’ve always wanted to go to college. All my siblings went to college. I got to see my sister graduate this year, and I want to graduate one day, too, and be prepared for my future, be more independent, and have a job I like.