I’ve done one of these for my husband (when he retired from the Navy) and one about my son (when he joined the Navy), so now I’ll brag about my daughter – even though it has nothing to do with the Navy.
I’ve talked about my girl before, of course. I think many of you know that she was premature, and has Cerebral Palsy as a result of the prematurity. Her diagnosis is moderate-to-severe and she can’t walk at all (except with a crutch) and has some less-serious fine-motor problems with her arms. But she’s just about the most self-sufficient and independant person I’ve ever met at her level of disability – especially considering her age (she’s just 18). She’s had other issues to overcome; she’s struggled with depression and even attempted suicide a few years ago – I talked about that here on this board – but she’s really come shining through. She has some visual-perceptual difficulties (common for premature children and those with CP) but, through sheer hard work, manages to keep her weighted GPA well above 4.0. She’s stubborn, bright and beautiful.
She doesn’t perfrom at her best on standardized tests and we were disappointed in her SATs (she got a score right around 500 on all three tests – not great) and so were a bit nervous about her getting into her first choice of colleges. She wants to go to Sweet Briar – a private woman’s college here in Virginia. We visited the campus this year and she loved it there. It is very small (only around 700 students total, with an average class size of 13) and it just seemed like such a perfect fit for her. So we’ve been somewhat nervously awaiting word on whether or not she was accepted.
And, yesterday we got her acceptance letter. She’s a Sweet Briar Woman! And she was awarded a merit scholarship too! All Virginia residents get a $10,000 a year grant ($7500 from Sweet Briar & $2500 from Virginia), but Doe was awarded an extra $3500 plus $250 from the campus bookstore! We’re so proud of her and she’s so proud of herself.
So, in just a few months she’ll be off to Lynchburg. I’m not sure what I’ll do without her… But that’s the nature of the beast with children, normally – you raise them and love them, and then they leave you. I went through this last year with my son. It’s a bit more complicated than that with disabled children, though. Sometimes, with disabled children, they’re never able to leave home. I can’t help but remember when she was small and had first been diagnosed and we didn’t know what her future would hold. I’d like to take complete credit for the way she’s shaping up – and I do think we deserve some credit because we’ve tried really hard to give her a ‘normal’ upbringing – but I think the greater part of the credit belongs to her. She’s a worker and a striver and those are internal qualities that would have belonged to her however she was raised, I think.
I’m really going to miss her. But I think it will be a good kind of missing.
I’m glad to hear that things have gone so well for her! This must be an exciting time for her. It sounds like she has everything she needs to be a great success at whatever she decides she wants to do.
I couldn’t get your photo link to work though. It said I needed to sign in.
Thanks for the kind words, eveyone. Try this link for her photo instead. I posted it because I love her senior photo so much. She doesn’t usually photograph as cute as she is, but this one came out just right. It looks just like her.
I love her hair!
That is a great picture!
Makes me wish I could get my senior picture taken again with some kind of personality to it rather than the assembly line everyone-gets-the-same-shot-gazing-off-into-the-distance-with-an-unfocused-eyes quality about it.
Well, she hasn’t broken a school bus as your talented daughter has, but she has been present during four minor bus accidents while she was riding on her short bus. Coincidence? I think not.
Whose daughter has never broken a bus, and who would like to state for the record that his daughter is not, repeat not drinking an adult beverage in this picture. It’s a Slurpee. Yeah, yeah that’s it - a Slurpee.
Congratulations, Jess and Doe!
Daughter looks radiant. and way cool, too, in the photo. Having had the priviledge of meeting Mom Jess at a Dopefest in Virginny some years back, I can say that it’s in the genes, cause Jess is radiant and muy cool too.
Here’s to Doe’s launch out to the Big Ol’ World; may she accomplish everything she sets her heart on!
I hope this doesn’t take away from the accomplishment, but no, Sweet Briar is not a traditional “Seven Sister.” Its a very small, extremely horsie women’s college located way out in the boonies of Virginia (but the prettiest part of the boonies!).
Congratulations Jess’s daughter. There is no sweeter feeling that the “thick envelope” from the right school.
Not much to add except that I got all goose pimply (the good kind) when I read your post. See, I work in a therapy center for CP kids and it’s so cool when they surpass everyone’s expectations but their own
<— proud mama smile!
