Getting into college is a remarkable achievement for anyone, but it was especially exciting for one Philadelphia teen, as many assumed it was a step she’d never get to take.
Rachel Grace, a high school senior with Down syndrome, originally considered four special-needs schools, but wanted to get the full college experience as well as move out and be more independent. Rachel found the East Stroudsburg University, which is located in Pennsylvania, and decided to apply to their Career, Independent Living & Learning Studies program for young adults with intellectual disabilities since it had everything she wanted in a school.
“They go to class, they cheer on the Warriors, they go to the cafeteria, they wake up for that 8 a.m. Monday class,” College of Education Dean Terry Barry said of the CILLS students.
Finally, after tediously waiting to hear back about her application, Rachel’s mom Deb handed her a big letter from the school, and asked her to read what it said out loud.
Rachel’s face instantly lit up as she realized she had been accepted into her dream school. “I got in! I’m going to college!” Rachel screamed as her mom filmed the incredible news.
Deb later posted the video to Facebook, and in just a few days, the video has been viewed by millions of people including Dean Terry Barry. “Of course, it just melts your heart when you see a student reading the acceptance letter, but at that moment, I didn’t realize that over a half a million other people had also saw the video,” Barry said.
Watch the entire video below to see the incredible moment this teen finds out she got into her dream college.
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[Featured image credit: Youtube/ABC News]
Watch The Incredible Moment This Teen With Down Syndrome Finds Out She Got Into College is an article from: LifeDaily