Post by Bornthrilla on May 11, 2009 9:00:04 GMT -5
N.C. A&T graduate defies expectations
Sunday, May 10, 2009
By Nancy H. McLaughlin
Staff Writer
GREENSBORO — When it was time to cross the stage to accept her new diploma in business from N.C. A&T, Monique Johnson wasn’t exactly in tears.
“It was a lot to take in — I’m trying to concentrate on shaking hands with the chancellor and Dean (Quiester) Craig, handling the diploma and not driving over anyone’s toes,” Johnson, 22, joked afterward, about multitasking while on stage on her scooter.
Next up for her: law school.
Johnson, an honors graduate, was born with diastrophic dysplasia, a rare form of dwarfism, and scoliosis in her spine, which doctors thought would eventually curve into her lungs or damage her heart.
She wasn’t expected to live long enough to attend elementary school.
Doctors call Johnson’s form of dwarfism “the little of the littles.” The doctors still consider her condition as terminal.
“She’d rather be invisible — she doesn’t like people to make a big deal over her, but college has helped her accept the fact that it’s not about her, it’s what God has purposed for her,” said her mother, Angela Matthews of Winston-Salem.
“She has things harder in life so that she can show other people it’s a possibility to overcome every obstacle,” Matthews said of her daughter.
This fall, Johnson expects to start working on a degree at the Elon University Law School. She wants to be a lawyer or judge.
“I guess I could be a great role model for people with disabilities, but if you work hard in life and stay diligent, you can do anything you set your mind to, whoever you are.”
A&T was a new, independent world four years ago — and that required more adapting for Johnson than the average freshmen.
A so-called “hitchhiker’s thumb” prevented Johnson from being physically able to open or close her fingers or grip objects to pull books from her bookbag. But that didn’t stop her from graduating with honors.
Her feet curve inward at the ankle, making it impossible for her to walk properly, but she got around campus, joining clubs and making friends. She even was a part of the “praise team” for the campus Bible study every week.
Read more:
www.news-record.com/content/2009/05/09/article/nc_at_graduate_defies_expectations
Sunday, May 10, 2009
By Nancy H. McLaughlin
Staff Writer
GREENSBORO — When it was time to cross the stage to accept her new diploma in business from N.C. A&T, Monique Johnson wasn’t exactly in tears.
“It was a lot to take in — I’m trying to concentrate on shaking hands with the chancellor and Dean (Quiester) Craig, handling the diploma and not driving over anyone’s toes,” Johnson, 22, joked afterward, about multitasking while on stage on her scooter.
Next up for her: law school.
Johnson, an honors graduate, was born with diastrophic dysplasia, a rare form of dwarfism, and scoliosis in her spine, which doctors thought would eventually curve into her lungs or damage her heart.
She wasn’t expected to live long enough to attend elementary school.
Doctors call Johnson’s form of dwarfism “the little of the littles.” The doctors still consider her condition as terminal.
“She’d rather be invisible — she doesn’t like people to make a big deal over her, but college has helped her accept the fact that it’s not about her, it’s what God has purposed for her,” said her mother, Angela Matthews of Winston-Salem.
“She has things harder in life so that she can show other people it’s a possibility to overcome every obstacle,” Matthews said of her daughter.
This fall, Johnson expects to start working on a degree at the Elon University Law School. She wants to be a lawyer or judge.
“I guess I could be a great role model for people with disabilities, but if you work hard in life and stay diligent, you can do anything you set your mind to, whoever you are.”
A&T was a new, independent world four years ago — and that required more adapting for Johnson than the average freshmen.
A so-called “hitchhiker’s thumb” prevented Johnson from being physically able to open or close her fingers or grip objects to pull books from her bookbag. But that didn’t stop her from graduating with honors.
Her feet curve inward at the ankle, making it impossible for her to walk properly, but she got around campus, joining clubs and making friends. She even was a part of the “praise team” for the campus Bible study every week.
Read more:
www.news-record.com/content/2009/05/09/article/nc_at_graduate_defies_expectations
