I am an African American male with an intellectual disability but am the most special person you will meet! I am Braylen Penn. Learning is very hard for me and so is everyday life. Things that are easy for most people, like buttoning my shirt, are hard for me. In school I work hard on reading and math and learn in the Specialized Learning Center class at school. I also have ADHD which makes focusing and planning hard too. Although I learn differently, I do not let my disability stop me. I am a hard worker and like following my schedules so I can get all my assignments done quickly. I am a leader in my class. I also go offsite to learn job skills like bagging groceries and working with customers. At school I played on the football team, volunteer in the athletics department and manage the boys varsity volleyball team. At school they call me "the mayor" because I am friendly and live out our school's motto: One School, One Community , One Us! I deserve to go to college like my peers. I know I will be successful in college because I went to HeelsUp, a five week out of state transition program last summer at the University of North Carolina. I lived in a dorm with suitemates. I also took a college art class that I loved. We took the public city bus to class so we could learn to ride by ourselves. HeelsUp was a big deal because I had never spent the night away from home without family. It was also a long away from where I live in Connecticut. I loved it so much that I did not want to leave. I will not let my disability stop me from living my best life. I am a sports expert and want to get a job working in sports. Sports has always been my thing and it even helps with my learning. I like reading stats and player bios. I even volunteered in gameday operations at our local minor league team. Going to college will assist me with the skills to get a job working in sports. At college I will work on my communication, sports management, independence and money skills. I have been working very hard to attend a college comprehensive transition program for people with intellectual disabilities. I looked at schools that I could attend, I filled out applications and interviewed for a lot of programs. I am so happy I was accepted into five comprehensive transition programs at big universities (George Mason, Syracuse, UNC, Delaware and Winthrop). They will help me with job training, independence and give me the college experience even people with disabilities deserve. Not a lot of people with intellectual disabilities get to go to college. My school did not know about college comprehensive transition programs and did not give me a lot of options. I think people with intellectual disabilities should be able to make more choices about their future. If I am able to go to a college comprehensive transition program then I will inspire other kids in the Specialized Learning Center class. It will also help my school and teachers keep an open mind about what people with intellectual disabilities can do. I will also show that people with intellectual disabilities can make their dreams come true.

I have an intellectual disability but am the most special person you will meet! I am Braylen Penn. Learning is very hard for me and so is everyday life. Things that are easy for most people, like buttoning my shirt, are hard for me. In school I work hard on reading and math and learn in the Specialized Learning Center class at school. I also have ADHD which makes focusing and planning hard too. Although I learn differently, I do not let my disability stop me. I am a hard worker and like following my schedules so I can get all my assignments done quickly. I am a leader in my class. I also go offsite to learn job skills like bagging groceries and working with customers. At school I played on the football team, volunteer in the athletics department and manage the boys varsity volleyball team. At school they call me "the mayor" because I am friendly and live out our school's motto: One School, One Community , One Us! I deserve to go to college like my peers. I know I will be successful in college because I went to HeelsUp, a five week out of state transition program last summer at the University of North Carolina. I lived in a dorm with suitemates. I also took a college art class that I loved. We took the public city bus to class so we could learn to ride by ourselves. HeelsUp was a big deal because I had never spent the night away from home without family. It was also a long away from where I live in Connecticut. I loved it so much that I did not want to leave. I will not let my disability stop me from living my best life. I am a sports expert and want to get a job working in sports. Sports has always been my thing and it even helps with my learning. I like reading stats and player bios. I even volunteered in gameday operations at our local minor league team. Going to college will assist me with the skills to get a job working in sports. At college I will work on my communication, sports management, independence and money skills. I have been working very hard to attend a college comprehensive transition program for people with intellectual disabilities. I looked at schools that I could attend, I filled out applications and interviewed for a lot of programs. I am so happy I was accepted into five comprehensive transition programs at big universities (George Mason, Syracuse, UNC, Delaware and Winthrop). They will help me with job training, independence and give me the college experience even people with disabilities deserve. Not a lot of people with intellectual disabilities get to go to college. My school did not know about college comprehensive transition programs and did not give me a lot of options. I think people with intellectual disabilities should be able to make more choices about their future. If I am able to go to a college comprehensive transition program then I will inspire other kids in the Specialized Learning Center class. It will also help my school and teachers keep an open mind about what people with intellectual disabilities can do. I will also show that people with intellectual disabilities can make their dreams come true.