Nothing encapsulates the transition into adulthood like the traditional college experience. 获得学位需要努力学习, 纪律, 和独立, and many graduating seniors overcome significant adversity to earn their degrees. Now imagine navigating the rigors of campus life in a wheelchair, and you’ll begin to have a sense of the sheer tenacity of 马克·安德鲁斯 ’18.  

安德鲁斯, 拉格朗日学院哲学专业的学生, 纽约, has an inherited disorder called spinal muscular atrophy, which leaves him unable to walk or use his legs; he has limited use of his arms. 从两岁起就只能坐在轮椅上, he is dependent on aides (provided by 纽约 State) for personal care, 从床上到轮椅上，再回到床上, 带着书, 打开一扇门, and many other tasks that most people take for granted. Still, these challenges have not prevented him from serving as editor-in-chief of the 马瑞斯特大学哲学学报, presenting his award-winning paper at a conference, and taking advantage of all the intellectual and social opportunities Marist has to offer.  安德鲁斯特别喜欢哲学讲座, and he makes it a point to see high-profile speakers such as Cornel West and Sebastian Junger. 为 fun, he does “normal lazy college kid stuff like playing video games and watching movies.” He notes, “There’s a lot of opportunity here; you just have to find your passion.” 

安德鲁斯 knew that he could handle being away from home when he completed Marist’s pre-college summer program in game design and got his first taste of independence. Still, he was terrified the night before starting his freshman year. 这种转变确实很困难, 在适应bet亚洲365欢迎投注之间, managing a revolving roster of personal care aides, 他原本的专业是生物学. A low point came a couple of months into the fall semester when a fire alarm went off in the middle of the night in Marian Hall. 安德鲁斯’ aide was nowhere to be found, so he had to call his father to come get him. Later, he realized that the aide had stolen his wallet and disappeared. 气馁, 在大一结束的时候, 他已经决定秋天不回来了, but his parents made him promise to give it just one more semester. “我想得越多, I didn’t want to let these frustrations prevent me from getting a college degree.” 安德鲁斯 continues, “I view life as an exercise in resiliency, and I’m as stubborn as an ox.” He returned to Marist for his sophomore year and never looked back. 

卫生服务署署长. Melissa Schiskie has known 安德鲁斯 and his family for years because, 在来bet亚洲365欢迎投注之前, 她是他的初级保健医生. “Marc is such an inspiring young man, and he has such determination. It’s been so rewarding to see him flourish in a college environment. I love hearing his stories about how he went to a party, 他是如何在倾盆大雨中穿过校园的, 等等....... He always jokes that he’s going to write a book about his experiences, and I hope he does!”  

Things haven’t been perfect, but 安德鲁斯 isn’t one to complain. He doesn’t dwell on the social barriers he still encounters or the times that he can’t go to someone’s house because it’s not accessible. 而不是, he gives credit to the many people in the Marist community who have supported him and made his education possible, including Associate Director of 住房 Patti Houmiel; faculty like Associate Professors of Philosophy James Snyder and Andrei Buckareff and Assistant Professors of Philosophy Georganna Ulary and Joseph Campisi; the Physical Plant team who installed an accessible shower in his dorm room. 安德鲁斯说:“老实说，每个人都很棒. I’m especially grateful to my professors, who respect my work and really see me for who I am.”  

这种尊重显然是相互的. 据博士说. Snyder, “Marc has been one of our top majors since he joined the philosophy program. He pays particular attention to the human condition. He wrote his capping paper on existentialism and the myth of Sisyphus, and it was one of the most illuminating I have read; for me, he clarified and provided insight into the lives of those with disabilities.博士补充道。. Buckareff, who is currently co-authoring a paper with 安德鲁斯, “Marc exhibits the best qualities of a motivated and intellectually curious student. He excels at discerning connections between what often appear, 乍一看, to be unrelated problems and exhibits considerable skill in developing reasonable solutions.“Houmiel, who has worked closely with 安德鲁斯 to secure on-campus housing that meets his needs, 指的是他的“灿烂笑容”, 伟大的态度, 还有很棒的t恤, 它们都有很酷的背景故事.“在他大四的时候, he’s living in the new North 校园 住房 Complex on an upper floor with views of the Hudson River. 说Houmiel, “Marc could have chosen a room on the ground floor – it would have been easier for him – but he told me he would find a way to make it work even if the elevator broke down or the fire alarm sounded. 他做到了.” 

那么马克·安德鲁斯的下一步计划是什么呢? He is looking forward to graduation this May with a sense of pride and satisfaction that he made the most of his college experience. However, he’s not in a hurry to decide his next move. A job or graduate school would likely involve relocating (and all the challenges that would present), 所以他要花点时间把事情想清楚. As someone who “doesn’t like quitting or getting beat,“安德鲁斯无疑会做出正确的决定.