4 Paws for Ability

This semester I joined 4 Paws for Ability. Part of the mission for 4 Paws is to “enrich the lives of children with disabilities by the training and placement of quality, task trained service dogs to provide increased independence for the children and assistance to their families.” I have a passion for this mission because of my previous experiences.

Dogs are an amazing animal that bring people so much joy simply by walking into a room. I love to help children with disabilities and have volunteered in the past in leading a yearlong service project at my 4pawsforabilityhigh school with this.  In this project, students went to the Ingles family’s home and helped to tutor and play with their 15 children, many of which were adopted and had disabilities. At their house, this family also had five dogs, and initially one would think that this would just make more work for the already seemingly full plate that the parents had. However, the parents said that each and every one of the dogs was such a blessing. Nico, Buddy, Lucy, Abby, and Maggie all made a huge difference in each of the child’s lives. The dog was a comfort. Each dog was someone that would always be there to talk to, play with, and to hug, even when one of the parents wasn’t available. I have a dog of my own, Pixie, and I know that this is true because she has been there for me just as much as, or more, that I have been there for her.  Through my experiences I have been interested in pursuing a disability minor and working with children. I love dogs and they are amazing animals that can do so much to benefit people, even if it just by making them smile. I personally have seen the impact of having a dog in the home of a child with a disability and the results are amazing.

When helping children with disabilities, I think something can be learned from the animals that help them. Sometimes be simply being there the animals can give them so much comfort, and other times the animals take action. For example, some children that are diagnosed with Autism experience a great benefit from experiencing deep pressure, so at times their animal or dog will lay on top of them to calm them down.

Year in Review

[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

G.O.A.L.S.

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc .
Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.   For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Artifacts

A Kid Again

This year I became a part of a club at The Ohio State University called “A Kid Again” and have loved every minute of it.  A Kid Again exists “to foster hope, happiness, and healing for families raising kids akidagainwith life-threatening illness.”  As a member, I volunteer and try to help A Kid Again achieve their goal in giving illness a giant time-out.  I help at the game nights in where we play with the children and their siblings.  At these game nights the kids do not have to worry about what doctor they will see next or when they may be back in the hospital, but they can just be A Kid Again and try to forget all of those worries for a little while.  Through this experience, I see how hard it is not only for the child that is sick but their entire family.  I have chosen to be a Pen Pal to one of the siblings to just try to reach out to them and give them a smile.  This is valuable experience for me because later in life I want to be able to help these kids.  Simply being around them allows me to learn from them, while I also have the chance to make them feel a little better.

About Me

My name is Celeste Borgemenke and I am a first-year student at The Ohio State University.  I look forward to majoring in Health Sciences so that I can become a Physical Therapist.  My dream is to be a Physical Therapist and work with children that have disabilities.  This is why I am pursuing a disabilities studies minor. These studies set me down a path that is tailored to getting into graduate school and have the knowledge that revolves around disabilities.  I value face to face contact, strong communication, and hands-on help. Having and helping kids are one of my main goals and seeing them smile gives me so much joy.

Kids with disabilities have a different way of looking at the world.  A disability does not make them worth anything less, but I view them as gifts.  These children are gifts to the world and open my eyes to the world in a new way. After I spent time with these kids, it is as if I am looking at the world through a different lens. These kids are in need of others’ help though. They can show people so many things, but they too need people to be there for them. I want to be someone that is there for them. I want to be that person that their parents and they themselves can turn to for help.  Becoming a Physical Therapist and having a disability studies minor will allow me to do this.  My dream will become achievable and I will help these kids.