Conferenced Out

Leadership Presentation (June 2021)

Earlier this week-- I was able to have the opportunity of sharing my thoughts on what I feel like are the most important attributes of being a disability leader. As one of the NINJA Youth Mentors, I really wanted to make a good impression and inspire all of my friends who are on the conference with us, to genuinely know what good attributes that could make them a disability leader. I am grateful for the privilege of being able to share what some of my favorite ones were in a three minute period. It was definitely not the first time I ever shared my experiences with my NINJA friends and inspiring them to strive as hard as they can to be an example for others to follow. (Long Story Short--Last year when I was asked as one of the youth mentors to share their insight on what leadership means to them and boy it was seriously not even within a matter of seconds my voice became shaky and tears were rolling down my cheeks!! No, It was not planned whatsoever to have what I had prepared to come across in an emotional manner, but sometimes I never can seem to explain what I want to across to a group of people in the way I want to and then having end up as a teared up leadership moment in my heart is what makes me who I am.) I hope that everyone who listened to me share my thoughts were not only motivated to do what be good leaders in the disability community, but want to continue doing whatever they can in making sure their voices are being heard. 

NINJA Conference 2021,

When I first attended you back in 2013, I didn't necessarily expect you to be as much fun as you were until after I got there on USU Campus!!! I seriously had no idea about what anything in the disability community was (let alone about how much of an impact I could make on the lives of people like me!) I am grateful for the many friendships I have been able to have with some of the most amazing people in this world. They have inspired me to see the good in everything that life has to offer and reminding me of who I really am inside not only as an individual--but as a self advocate, leader, and someone who just aspires to keep improving on their own skills as much as possible. Thank you so much for changing my life forever and giving me a platform to make a difference in the lives of so many people!!!

USILC Staff:

You guys are just the best of the best in our state!! Thank you for being patient with me as I have started on my journey with being a youth member on USILC and learning from the greatest people ever is just a dream come true!!! I may not do anything perfect at times, but I continue learning as much as I can--- which if you ask me keeps leaving an imprint on my heart almost every year. Thank you so much for all the dedication and everything in between you guys put into making the NINJA Conference into what it is now!!! I'm missing the conference so much already and cannot wait to see this conference grow into more than just a fun disability leadership program--but one that is going to change the lives of everyone who gets a chance to participate in this yearly event. Love y'all and peace out---(Until next year that is!)

Taken Back

When I received the acceptance email about being a youth mentor for my disability leadership conference, it was definitely quite surreal in more ways than I expected it to be. I have questioned a little bit if there is not more to the story here than what meets the eye, because several months back-- I didn't think for even a second that I'd even reach this goal once again. I know it is an exciting moment for me to celebrate about an opportunity that has continued to impact my life in countless ways, but somehow it feels a little more taken back this time around. 

I really hope to leave an imprint on the hearts of everybody who participates with us and tries to get as much out of the conference as they can possible. But it leaves me wondering if I was only felt sorry for due what I did months prior to this even becoming a reality or if it was because the person who sent me the information wanted to give me another chance? I may never know the exact answer and that to me will have to be something I need to persevere through until the event actually happens...but who knows?? It has given me a lot of mixed emotions as to knowing if I was even their first choice or just someone they had to contemplate a lot on before making an official decision? 

It's most likely unusual for me to share this with you, but I know my experiences throughout the past almost fourteen months have obviously led me straight to here. I really didn't know what to think once the email came through if I was only dreaming or just wanted to accept whatever was going to happen would end up simply being what it needed to be? 

I am not particularly sure about how this all came into my head (let alone into a blog post like this but I do know it needed to be shared with anyone who reads my stuff understands where I am coming from.) I was expecting my chances of being selected were not gonna be very high up there after turning in my application months before and I knew in my heart--I needed to be fair with how the outcome would be if it ever came into my path. 

The message I want to get across here is one of the hardest for me to wrap my head around... I am not particularly certain if I was even close to being the mentor who got selected not knowing their chances were not very much up there. I am just simply hoping for an experience that is going to leave me with a chance to refocus on what I can do better as a disability leader, advocate, mentor and friend to all of those youth participants who I know have so much they will need to get out of the conference as they can possible. I am certainly not sure about what other surprises this virtual conference will have in store for me and my friends--but I legitimately hope it will start and finish off better than what happened last year. I want to be a disability leader whose not only just a good person, but someone who motivates and encourages others like themselves to know they are not alone. They can accomplish as many goals as I know they are capable of doing (regardless of what others may think they are not able to tackle.) I know this second year of being on a virtual conference is going to have a lot of ups and downs along the way- but I am truly grateful to contribute in anyway that I can to make this event successful. It has obviously been a struggle for me to reach this point and feel confident in what lies ahead--but until the conference itself happens, I am not sure what else is going to be expected of us youth mentors. I am determined in making sure I leave an imprint on the hearts of everyone who is going to be involved with this event & realizing that just doing my best is enough. All I can easily admit now is: NINJA Conference 2021----- Ready Or Not--Here I Come!!! :) 

Ninja Conference

I'm truly grateful for the privilege I had to return back to my favorite youth leadership conference as one of the mentors. I absolutely loved every single minute of being able to share my positive energy with some of the absolute most legitimate friends I could ever ask for. I really enjoyed getting to not only help in various ways at this conference, but also teaching one of the classes there is definitely a highlight that I will cherish forever. It was such an amazing experience for me to have my own peers see one of their own in a different way that had never been done & I am grateful to have made some kind of an impression on them. 

Shout Out:

I've probably done this too much-- but I cannot even begin to express the gratitude & appreciation that I have for all of our legitimate staff who was there with us. All of them are not just only there doing their important jobs that they do on a regular basis, but I would definitely consider most of them to be my closest friends. I can honestly admit each of them continues to play some kind of a significant role in my life and never fail to make me smile or remind me that I can do hard things- regardless of whatever that is. I just want to thank all of you for the friendships that we share with each other and will continue on for many years down the road. 

Favorite Conference Highlights:

- Spending quality time with all of the legitimate staff and participants we had there all week long. I am so incredibly grateful for the dedicated, hard-working, friendly, helpful people that you are and will forever be as many more years quickly pass on. 

- Staying up late into the evening hours and laughing till my heart was tired!!! No kidding if you ask me... I could go on forever about this!!! :) 

- The Flying Squirrel (Pretty much speaks for itself and it is the most legitimate high activity ever on this planet!!!)

- Became friends with everyone there and definitely made memories that will stick with me for the rest of my summer vacation. 

- Enjoyed some delicious and refreshing Aggie Ice Cream on the Quad with everybody on the grass, not to mention played some of the most legitimate Aggie games ever!!!

- Danced my heart out as much as I could possible with everyone and can only hope to do it again in the future!!! (Fingers Crossed)

- Teaching one of the classes at this conference was one of the most unforgettable moments for me in ways that I could not even describe into words. I really liked having all of my friends at this disability conference see me in a professional way and if I could do it all over again--- I would not hesitate with being able to say YES!!! Did I forget to mention that I was also one of the Keynote Speakers?!?!? So much more about this later on in a different blog post to come. 

Not So Crazy

Self Advocacy Conference:

What an absolute new experience it has been for me to plan this event... that is literally almost just around the corner!!! I have really tried to give my input and opinion on things, but obviously it has not felt like my voice was heard at all--- because so much of what I wanted to share nobody in our group has made me feel as though it was helpful at the time, I never should have mentioned it in the first place. Oh well... I can only hope for the best in however this conference turns out and just really make some memories with my friends there.

NINJA Youth Leadership Conference:

This conference has been a part of my life for the last several years and has made me into the self advocate that I am today. I definitely for an unforgettable experience with a lot of youth like myself who are interested with learning more about leadership skills among so many other topics. I am also on a committee that has been helping with putting the conference itself together for a while now and can only hope for the best in however things end up. 

Miss Amazing Appearances:

These have certainly been random and most likely will continue to be that way...With both of the two appearances I've done so far there isn't necessarily too much for me to share right now. I am definitely hoping for opportunities to continue making a difference in the lives of other people and seeing out of my comfort zone a little bit more often than normal. 

YAC Experience

NINJA Conference Alumni (Youth Advisory Committee)

I have probably shared one if not too many experiences about how much I love being a NINJA Alum and getting the opportunities of advocating for people like myself in this world. It has literally given me lots of privileges to share my message of letting individuals such as me know that their voices are heard no matter how much life is throwing at them every once in awhile. We all have challenges that test our ways of whether or not we can stand up for what we know and believe in, but having said all of this here I am more than willing to put myself out there and make a positive social change. I may be one of those millions of people with disabilities who want seriously nothing more than to feel just as accepted in this world like everybody else, without coming across to people as an absolute mistake because we're different. Well, let me tell you something:

"If you wanna find who's not going to take being mistreated & disrespected for no logical reason whatsoever, just simply because they are not like most people in this so called world of ours, then TRY being in our situations and turn around to see who will stick around a person like you." Just try it out for awhile if not forever, just feeling some what of a glimpse into how it feels to be different from everyone else who thinks we are nothing more than something they have ZERO expertise or knowledge in...Think about this and let me know who stuck around for you in that time period."  #JustSaying

I'm beginning the application process to be on this Youth Advisory Committee and it sounds like such an incredible opportunity to empower, implement and let people with disabilities know that they can do anything they set their minds to and doing it in a positive way. I am grateful for the many lessons and things that I will be able to participate in as well as educate people on what is important to us in this world. More about this later when I have more stories and things to share with you!!!

Highlights

Special Needs Institute at Utah Valley University

It was truly one of the most significant experiences ever and getting to feel of the spirit very strongly each week, was just indescribable. I loved being able to learn so much more about this gospel and how amazingly simple it is to live everyday, which I can admit is never gonna leave me any time soon. I am grateful for the privilege and opportunity that I had to not only attend the class itself, but to also make some brand new friendships with people that I hope will last a lifetime!!!

Night To Shine Worldwide Prom 2017 - Ogden, Utah (The Genesis Project)

This unforgettable prom night experience is one that I will cherish forever and cannot wait to do all over again in the coming year. It is sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation which basically started this event about three years ago and having began with a small group of people has just continued to grow significantly over time... believe it or not!!! This isn't close to what kind of prom you attended in high school and plus EVERYTHING was free at this event, but you had to register online and save yourself a spot as quickly as you could. Everything from prom dresses, dinner, flower corsages, limo rides, tiaras, as well as crowns are all donated for this one special night that individuals like myself will cherish for many years to come. I definitely loved being able to wear a brand new prom dress that was completely different and unique from all of the ones... that I was seeing many girls have on. It was certainly more on the princess style dress side than mine was but considering the fact that it was priced originally at $430 and got marked down at $49 on clearance which I will admit was such a bargain of a good deal for something like that. I loved feeling like a queen all night long at such an incredible event that I'll always look back on and say it was nothing short of being a dream come true!!!

Volunteer Aide - Eighth Year

If you had asked me seven years ago, about whether or not I wanted to be a high school intern over at Westridge Elementary School I probably wouldn't have said much expect that I'd give it my best effort in trying to learn to love first grade students unconditionally. I was never somebody who didn't think they would be very good at something like this, but at the time I had so much that was really expected of me and trying to make a good impression took some more patience than I imagined. I'm not gonna lie when I say that after my first year, I was standing outside the classroom door and literally almost got teardrops in my eyes because I had gotten so attached to those kids and the teacher. Even though I was not able to perform certain tasks as well as I would have liked to, which sometimes still is a tough obstacle for me to get past every once in awhile.. but I have learned to never give up and keep moving forward. It has literally been one of the most wonderful experiences of my life, but having said that-- I have continued to grow so much as a person and whether those students know about my personal story or not I know they are more than willing to accept me for the help I am there to give. I've really loved being in two third grade classrooms this year so much and having a brand new curriculum is always super fun, but meeting new people has been an incredible experience for me. Cannot wait to see what the rest of this school year has in store for me and hoping to learn so many more things along the way!!!

Other Events/Highlights from my year in 2017:

Sneak Preview
Photoshoot
Ninja Conference
Self Determination Conference
Special Needs Ballroom
Untitled Post
Spectacular

Happy Ending... (Part Two)

With everything that I do in my life, I always and will try to strive to follow the Savior. It's never been something that I have ever questioned in my mind or had second thoughts about, for any particular reason. While I was attending my NINJA Youth Leadership Conference a few weeks ago, I brought up this question: "What part about it do you not understand?" I've never found myself asking someone this question and wondering if it was even the right thing to ask at the time, but then again I know this gospel is what continues to help me through life's experiences that we all have. NINJA Conference is not much closer to anything like girls camp where you have one night throughout the week to share your thoughts/feelings on what's important to you and striving to always be a little better each day. I know in my heart that this gospel is what continues to bring smiles to my face everyday and I wouldn't ever want to see myself trade it for anything that somebody else thought would've been better. I love my Savior, Jesus Christ so much more than ever before and that is because when I was out at UVU attending my special needs institute class, I absolutely loved feeling the spirit of my Heavenly Father so strongly & kicking off my week in something like that was truly a great experience. I know this life was never meant to be easy for anyone and let alone people who may not have the gospel in their lives, but I am grateful to know that I'm never going to handle anything without being an instrustment in His hands. I am not trying to come across being too preachy or religious here, but as you can already tell this gospel is what gives me hope and strength to overcome my stumbling blocks or what ever it is that is right in front of me. I feel like this past year I have tried to share my spiritual thoughts a little more than I normally do and that is simply because it means so much to me more than a lot of people in my life think it does. I'm truly grateful for the knowledge that I've always believed in to be the only way back to my heavenly home and I am never gonna shy away from it. I know that my trials and obstacles are never going to get any much easier, but I do know in my heart that there is more my Savior, Jesus Christ wants me to understand a little bit better. My name is Courtney Edgington and... (look below at the pic)

NINJA Conference

2017 NINJA Youth Leadership Conference Highlights

- Getting the unforgettable experience of reuniting with my NINJA friends was an absolute treat more than anything in this world.


- Staying up late with my roommates and talking till all of us just silently fell asleep in our dorm rooms.



- Spending time on the legit USU Ropes Course with everyone and learning so many things about what it takes to be a good leader/self advocate and person in my community.


- Having my hair done up super awesome by one of the newest youth participants and dancing the night away with them.


- Playing Just Dance 2014 on the Wii Game System till late into the night hours with everybody in the main common area of our dormority.


- Attending/Helping out with the leadership conference workshops we had going on & being a part of the Mentor Panel before dinner time started.


- Waking up early in the morning with having had little sleep the night before and never complaining once about how exhausted I was.


- Playing the traditional getting to know pple NINJA game with everybody (including the staff we had with us. Getting to do it in small groups with the people we were assigned to work with and help out in making the activity an enjoyable, rewarding, fun experience.


- Being a Youth Mentor with my NINJA friends was truly one of the most memorable things ever & cannot wait to do it all over again next year!!

- Swimming at the USU Recreation Center till 9 at night and making sure everyone had a friend to talk to as well as hang out with. 


- Snacking on pretty much treats the entire week and making bracelets for the dance that was coming up the following day.



As you can tell from these brief little statements of what happened at this NINJA Conference, there was not one single thing I would have changed about it & truly cherished getting the opportunity to be more of an adult this time from being a youth participant. I'll never forget it and cannot wait for next year to get here!!! #FingersCrossed 

NINJA Mentor Training

As many of you know that I've been a participant at this NINJA Youth Leadership Conference for three years and then getting the opportunity to go back as a Mentor this summer is such a dream come true!!! I am very much aware of the many expectations and guidelines that I will need to be following in order for this to be a successful week for those involved. It's really amazing to have a chance of being able to offer as much support and input as I can to the youth we are serving, but as well as helping out the Center Staff too. They are such a great and wonderful group of people who have continously supported us in everything that we've done, whether or not we noticed just how much of a impact it would make on our lives. After having been to the conference as a participant, there was absolutely nothing about it I would have wanted to see change or taken place differently- regardless of what those are. 

YESTERDAY AFTERNOON-- My mom and twin sister drove me & our best friend, Danielle up to Salt Lake so that we could attend this NINJA Mentor Training. This particular meeting was truly an amazing experience for us who are going to be there as Staff and believe me, it is a lot more than I'd originally saw on the application. All of us have specific things that we need to work on before this conference takes place and trying not to be too loud, shy, or finding ourselves talking too fast that a lot of people won't be able to understand. It certainly has me thinking fairly hard about making sure that I follow the rules/guidelines as best as I possibly can, because if you must know-- going to this from a different point of view. There have been various moments when I tend to find myself talking way too fast and not being able to slow down what is coming out of my mouth. I know it will be an amazing opportunity to grow as a person and self advocate in the sense, of being able to put my best foot forward in this conference. I am incredibly grateful for this new role that my friends & I will be able to take on throughout the week that we are there helping out. It will not only be super fun, but I know there will be a lot of things I need to take seriously and not be someone who won't be willing and brave enough to step up on things as much as I possibly can. 

To make this long story short, all of the mentors/our staff who were there with us took all of girls out to lunch at Cafe ZUPAS!! (Absolutely incredible and scrumptious if you must know... there is not one thing there I haven't liked or that wasn't the best meal choice for me.) It was super fun getting to have that girl time together and laugh till our hearts were completely tired!! After that, we headed back to the office and watched two videos of what leadership means to us, rather than making it a lot more of a bigger deal than it should be. It is simply about reaching out to people or friends that we know, in a way that we haven't ever been able to do before-- but I also think it has to do with the little things. It's definitely one of the most rewarding things that I'll probably ever get to do as a self advocate, but I'm more than happy to take this leadership role very seriously and give a helping hand whenever it has to be needed at any given moment. 

#NINJA4Life

NINJA Volunteer Youth Mentor - Training 2017

In about three weeks from today, I will be heading up to Salt Lake City, Utah for a very important training indicating the details/expectations that I'll need to know before hand in working at our 5th annual NINJA Youth Leadership Conference. I am super thrilled to take on this new role of what is truly expected from me on becoming the best staff that I can be to everyone involved. I am not sure what else to take in from this experience other than just knowing how to handle certain situations as best as I can possible.

What I've learned from participating in this conference is...

Being able to take back the skills and lessons I learned from the conference, back to my independent living center so I can help my friends there to reach their full potential in the things that they do each day.

How I've grown as a leader/self advocate from attending this NINJA Conference:

About a year later after I graduated from this conference, I had the privlege of attending the Quality Of Life Conference with the People First organization up Provo Canyon. One of the main staff who was there with us mentioned to me and a group of people about this Advocates As Leaders - Self Advocacy Speakers Network. It's basically a committee of people like ourselves who get trained in various topics of what individuals such as ourselves believe in, feel, cherish and value. They have a contract through USU (Utah State University) and even though they are not on the actual payroll, I get paid $50 dollars to write and present a topic that we feel is really important for the public to hear, know and understand. I truly feel like even though this organization has nothing in relations to this specific youth leadership conference, I definitely have a feeling that our NINJA Program really in some ways helped to prepare me for it. I am so grateful for the experiences that I hope to have at one point down the road in learning more skills and what is expected of me as a self advocate.

Current Events

Advocates As Leaders - Self Advocacy Speakers Network

I'm super thrilled about creating this supported decision making guide and having it be a different alternative from doing guardianship. I know that this guide will in particular have the supports you would need in order to make the decisions for years to come and how to make that happen. I know this guide will come in great use for individuals regardless of their age/circumstances to make their own decisions. With the support of people you know and have expertise in certain work fields, (w/ helping you make these choices that are going to impact your life down the road.) 

April 10th, 2017 - Supported Decision Making (Training)

I am really excited to have this opportunity of meeting with my friends and discussing the importance of what this guide is all about. Even though this is far away from now, I am hoping for a good/helpful discussion from the other people who are going to be there as well and learning as much as I possibly can. More about this later!!

Staff at the 5th annual NINJA Youth Leadership Conference - Logan, Utah

Nothing would make the start of my summer vacation more amazing than getting to staff in a program that means so much to me personally. I am not sure about anything yet until after the upcoming deadline approaches and seeing what happens from this, going forward. This NINJA program was absolutely life changing for me when I attended the conference three years ago, I'll admit right now this opportunity of getting to staff at it would be so awesome!!!! 

Exciting News

Advocates As Leaders Speakers Network

In the summer of last year, I participated in this Quality Of Life Conference that was held up at Provo Canyon and it was truly a wonderful experience. It's also where I was able to hear about this speakers network of individuals like myself who go around Utah to speak about people with special needs feel, believe in, and value. I don't really know how many people I'll end up having to speak to while I'm doing all of this, but I am very excited to try something new and make some great memories. I know it's completely out of my comfort zone and that it's something I've never done, but I can already tell it will be a great opportunity to have my voice heard.  All of the many people who are involved with this, are contracted through Utah State University and even though none of us are on the payroll--We all get paid $50 dollars to write and present what is important to them. I am truly stoked to be learning a lot of new things and getting to hopefully make some new friendships that will last forever. I cannot wait for the many years ahead that I'll get to be a part of something new about being a self advocate. I am not hesistate to admit that this chapter of my life will be a good one and looking forward to inspiring my peers to do the same for themselves. I am also really hoping that we can get out to some of those other ILCs across the valley and get to be reunited with some of my favorite people ever!! I am not saying it will be an absolute for sure thing, but it doesn't necessarily hurt to dream if I say so myself- just saying that right now!! ;)

NINJA Volunteer Youth Mentor - NINJA Conference 2017

THREE YEARS AGO--- My best friend Danielle and I were pulled aside to get some information about this first time ever youth leadership conference. The conference was held up at USU in Logan, Utah and little did we know just what an absolute life changing experience it would become. As I just looked at the schedule of what was to happen at this event, I definitely felt like things like that never happen around here too often- so why not give it a try?? I didn't even really know what to expect in the sense of how much fun this experience would turn out to be or if I would even make some new friends. After getting up to that conference and seeing just how much fun it was going to be, I didn't hesistate to what to do it all over again the next two years. I loved every single minute of this NINJA conference more than words could ever describe and I am grateful to have gotten so much out of it. I am happily excited to announce that me along with my friends, are going to be applying to return to this conference as "NINJA Volunteer Youth Mentors/Staff this summer!!!! I am really thrilled about knowing what it's like to be on the other side of things, which means we wouldn't be attending as the participants anymore. We would actually be there helping out with running the classes and activities that are going to be taking place throughout the week. I know that it's going to feel a lot like doing a job instead of just playing the entire time, (which I'm sure there will be plenty of that going on). I've never seen it from this perspective before and I am definitely hoping for a good experience. I loved going to this conference so much and it was certainly the biggest highlight of my summer vacation, without question.