Newly Hired

It's difficult for me to keep the tears back as I write up this blog post today after having received the news of an opportunity with teaching a class at my NINJA conference this summer!!! I am so honored for this unforgettable chance to educate and inform youth delegates about what self determination is. I could not help but keep myself together as I learned about the fact--my mentor days are over and will always have such a special place in my heart. I am grateful to return back this summer and teach some of my friends about a topic that is so important within the disability community. I could not be more grateful that this is where my self advocacy journey began a little over ten years ago and not knowing much about what I can do to be a leader, self advocate, mentor and friend towards others in making an impact on their lives in just the smallest way possible. It definitely makes me feel at peace knowing that I can hopefully make a good impression and leave a mark on everyone who will be there. 

Ty,

You changed my life forever and I cannot thank you nearly enough for asking me to teach a class on self determination on the campus of Utah State University this summer. It will forever hold a special place in my heart as I walk back into a conference where my journey began and what I owe all of my leadership experiences to. I am grateful for your kindness, unconditional love, support and friendship that you have shown me over these last few years, has truly meant the world to me more than you could ever possibly know. (Be sure to have tissues close by in case there are allergies inside of the room and just know that if I do end up getting teary eyed--it's simply because I love this conference so much!!!) It made me the person that I am today and if it had not been for NINJA--I'd not be serving on two governor appointed councils and serving in a variety of other disability leadership capacities. It's truly gonna be an amazing experience for me to teach all of my friends who are going to be attending the NINJA conference this year in person!!! I am so excited for the opportunity to be involved again with something that legitimately makes saying goodbye so hard!! 

#StayTunedForMoreUpdates #June2022 

Free Write

 Night To Shine 2022 (Last Night)

There will be a lot more pictures to be shared at a later time, but all I can say is that last night was truly an unforgettable evening. All of us met up with each other at a Mexican restaurant and enjoyed a scrumptious meal that could have been one less plate, but you get the picture?? We loved getting all dressed up and just being able to quality time with each other was definitely something that had not happened for awhile. 

Shortly after we finished up with dinner, We drove up to our best friend Danielle's house for the remainder of the evening :) Her house was all decked out with blue, sliver and purple balloons, and everything else in between that you could ever imagine!!! We loved every single minute of it so much with getting to hear all of these inspiring messages from celebrities and even special guests whose names I do not remember, but I really loved being able to sing the night away and dance till we were tired!! 

LONG STORY SHORT---There was not a dull moment about this special night and getting to be truly reassured of God's love for us made the evening so much more awesome!!! We loved being able to feel loved all night long with smiles, laughs, singing song lyrics at the top of our lungs, etc. I am so grateful that me and my best friends get to enjoy this special evening together as well as getting to be reminded-- of how incredibly wonderful we are in this world!!! 

#ToBeContinued 

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If you have never heard of this event before, then you are clearly missing out on an experience that will be one for the books!!! I am so excited to once again participate in this worldwide prom event that happens a little bit prior to valentine's day and getting to feel reassured of how important I am in this world, couldn't warm my heart more than it does throughout an event like this one. It's simply amazing to see a whole lot of individuals with disabilities from all over the country in unity over a movement like this for one night only is a dream come true!!! 

We are going to have dinner at a local Mexican restaurant near the University Mall in Orem and then from there we will be head back out to our best friend Danielle's house for the remainder of the evening. It will be so much fun getting to dance the night away, hear inspiring messages from celebrities that we know & love about how incredible we are, being crowned queens of the prom will be the most amazing part of the event itself. I am so excited to celebrate with my best friends and getting a chance to be in the spotlight for once is just like nothing else I can even put into words. #StayTuned

Ninja Forever

My self advocacy journey began a little over ten years ago when I received a piece of paper about a youth leadership retreat that would be taking place on the campus of Utah State University. I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to participate and learn more about becoming an even better person, self advocate and so many other things in between. I am grateful for the many new friendships that I was able to make with such an amazing group of people who still to this day, look after each other no matter what life is throwing at them. I cannot tell you how much of an imprint this conference has left on my heart over the course of these ten years and have never had any regrets since that time. I am grateful for the laughs, memories that me and my friends were able to make with each other, staying up late into the night hours and learning as many things as we could to be good disability leaders. 

TEN YEARS LATER----I am grateful for the doors of opportunity that this conference has given me to walk into and learn what my potential as a self advocate truly is. I also loved being able to teach at/on the conference itself more than anything in the world and getting to share my message of hope with my ninja friends was a delightful experience for me. It has been life changing for me to see the personal growth in myself to not be afraid to stand up for what I know is important and not letting any obstacles get in my way of what I can accomplish. 

LONG STORY SHORT---I am so grateful that this conference is where my self advocacy journey began and it is definitely not the end for me. I only have so many more opportunities out there for me to grasp a hold of and can let impact my life more than I will probably ever know. I have learned and grown so much from being a part of this conference and knowing that my legacy will live on forever is heartwarming. I'm grateful for the family that these group of people became from me as I returned back to this conference & wanting to learn more about becoming a good example for others. 

USILC:

It's been an unforgettable ride for these past ten years as I have gotten to participate in your disability conference that I will always have a special place in my heart for. You have helped me want to be an even better person than I ever thought I could become and I owe it all to you for making that happen.

Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunities to teach at the conference and letting me have an experience that I know will be cherished forever. You have been a wonderful part of my life that I will never want to lose or see itself fade out of here any time soon. I am so grateful for the chance that I do have to serve with you among so many other incredible people, who I know will continue to make an impact on the lives of so many individuals with disabilities. #ToBeContinued

Weekly Notice

As I prepare to meet my representative this next week, I'll need to write down some notes in regards to what I can about an issue that highly effects people in the disability community. I've had a little bit of a concern in the sense with my independent living center not being able to either have enough funding to continue keeping youth program coordinators in employed. It has been such a frustration for me being a self advocate with getting new people almost every year and not getting a chance to know them as well as I'd like to. I am legitimately certain this issue is somewhat different from what I'll need to share with my representative about how this can get taken care of and not be a problem anymore. I am really having the hardest time with trying to maintain my anxiety when things like this happen and I'm not sure what more I can do to make it better. 

(End Of Part One)

Other Stories:

My other governor appointed council will select and vote on a new member to join us!!! I cannot wait to work a little bit closer with this person and trying to learn as much as I can from them. I know it will be a little bit sentimental due to the fact we will be approving a new executive director who is the most selfless person I know in this world. I am grateful for their passionate dedication to the IL community here in Utah and making it such an inclusive place for everyone!!! I may or may not be a little teary eyed knowing their life is going to be changed forever and can only hope that everyone else will approve of them too. I will be keeping my fingers crossed and in hopes they can feel the unconditional love, endless support and just an overwhelming sense of gratitude in their heart for taking on this new leadership role. 

Mini Updates

Disability Advocacy Day (Online Event)

After the struggles I had with this virtual event last year, I could not be more thrilled to have the format changed to be a little more interactive and engaging. I can only hope it will give me much more insight and details into the legislative process in a more simplistic and approachable way... which if you ask me, is pretty much how I roll in this world. I am most likely going to support and participate in at least TWO sessions that my favorite colleagues will be doing in regards to their field with self advocacy and how we can better communicate or talk with our legislators. It's hard for me to not feel the least bit outside with all of this stuff because I don't necessarily know who my legislators are well enough, to sit down and have a conversation with them about issues inside the disability community. #ItsTheTruth #ImJustSaying #Legit

LCPD Reception (Capitol Rotunda)

Minus the endless list of restrictions and protocols that we have to follow, I am excited to finally get back in person with seeing my friends who I have greatly missed so much. I am not particularly certain just if all of them will be in attendance at this event and can only hope for a more relaxed experience this time-- as opposed to the other times when it has felt a little bit overwhelming. I am truly hoping that we can all enjoy our time together and catch up after what has been an emotional rollercoaster of uncertainty due to the circumstances that we are being dealt with. #NINJA4Life 

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 New USILC Sidekick (Mini Version)

I could not be more than excited about getting to work alongside one of the best people I've ever known within the disability community on my governor appointed council. It is exciting to have a fresh brand new face to join us while we continue making an impact on the lives of people with disabilities. This is where my self advocacy began a little over ten years ago and can only imagine all of the unforgettable memories that we will make together as a group. It is such a delight getting to learn and be inspired by some of the most incredible people that I've ever met in my life, as well as trying to be that good role model for others. 

Volunteering my time on this governor appointed council has been a dream come true for me, in more ways than one!!! I am grateful for the many incredible people who have helped me to believe in myself when it almost felt next to impossible, motivating me to always give it my best in everything that I do, among so many other things. Some of the most meaningful council initiatives that I have loved being a part of are: NINJA Conference, Youth Leadership Committee, (which if you ask is just the beginning of what is to come into the future and both of these have impacted me in an endless amount of ways.) I am grateful for the ways these have stretched me to become the most legitimate version of myself over these past several years. 

(To Be Continued)