TOPS 2022 graduate Alex has been involved with the Ohio State University Chapter of Best Buddies since before she started at OSU. She was recently featured on their website as one of the 2022 graduates! Check her out!
Month: May 2022
IPSE Day 2022
Join us on May 15, 2022 to celebrate Inclusive Postsecondary Education Day (IPSE) Day!
IPSE Day is a day to raise awareness and spread the word about inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) options for students with intellectual disability. IPSE means that students with intellectual disability can go to college, regardless of their test scores and high school diplomas, just like their peers and siblings.
Students with and without intellectual disability can go to college together. All students learn more academically and socially when taught together in inclusive classrooms (Taylor et al., 2021). “Faculty observed that the inclusion of college students with ID benefited the students themselves, but also benefited other college students, the classroom environment, and the instructors” (p. 6-7).
Today, there are about 5,300 colleges and universities in the U.S., and just over 300 have options for students with intellectual disability. While there are more options now than ever before, we still have work to do. So many students, parents, teachers, and college staff don’t know that college is an option for students with intellectual disability.
IPSE gives students with intellectual disability the opportunity to dream bigger. On May 15, help us tell a new story about inclusive postsecondary education! Share your #IPSEDay2022 story on social media.
Visit Think College to learn more about what you can do to expand inclusive postsecondary education options for students with intellectual disability.
Upcoming Graduate Student Spotlight: Jake Schoen!
Help us celebrate Jake!
TOPS wants to recognize all of the hard work and accomplishments of the upcoming TOPS graduates by hearing about their individual experiences. This time, we had the pleasure of speaking with Jake Schoen. Below is the interview with Jake.
What is your name?
My name is Jake Schoen.
When did you start TOPS?
I started TOPS in August 2018.
What was your favorite class at TOPS?
My favorite class was Acting 3 because I love acting and monologues.
What is one of your favorite memories from TOPS?
My favorite memory is the escape room from our summer orientation.
How was your overall experience with TOPS? Was it fun, hard, exciting?
It was pretty good.
What will you miss most about college?
My theatre classes and my internships at Navy ROTC and RPAC. I will also miss my involvement with Autism U at OSU.
What was your favorite thing about college?
My theatre classes and Autism U at OSU
What job do you have now?
I am finishing up my work at the ROTC and RPAC and plan to start working again in the fall.
What is your dream job?
I’m still deciding what career path I want to go on.
If you could describe college in one word, what would it be?
Awesome
Congratulations Jake! We are excited to see what your future holds!
Ohio State Day of Giving
Today, May 3rd, is Ohio State’s Day of Giving. Join our Buckeye community as we create pathways to an affordable, accessible education on Day of Giving. TOPS provides scholarships annually to students, helping them to succeed while at Ohio State. Give now at: Give To OSU. Search for the TOPS Fund (#313451).
