Celebrating the college graduation of my special needs homeschooled child

Izzy graduated from college a few weeks ago! It was a cold rainy day, on a Friday evening, with hundreds of other graduates and their guests. It was almost impossible to get great pictures. But we still came home and celebrated!

This was all on her own volition. After she graduated from our homeschool I was really fearful that she would not be able to handle the academic rigors required in college. But she really wanted to pursue her art, and right now in this country, going the Bachelor’s degree route is the only way to do that.

After graduating from high school, she got a job at Michael’s Crafts store. She gained a lot of confidence working with the public, and she learned to work well with managers and her co-workers. When COVID-19 locked everything down, she was willing to keep working, and she was rewarded with becoming a manager! She was unsure if she would be able to handle it, but it turns out she is very gifted at organization. After four years working there, she was determined to enter our local university. During her Freshman year, she worked full-time as a manager at Michael’s while she pursued her studies.

Izzy had a total of 5 years of employment, including her Freshman year in college. She was financially set when she was in school.

It wasn’t easy. Izzy did have accommodations, but I really feel that her best accommodation came from her family. There were many nights that I pored over her papers to check punctuation, grammar, and spelling while her brother and sister made sure she was doing the correct citations. Her friends made flash cards and helped her study. This degree symbolizes her tenacity and the support of her family and friends!

But most importantly, she proved to herself and others that she is a gifted artist. She made friends and connections. I look forward to seeing what comes next. And maybe we can get a proper photo shoot when the weather is more agreeable.