24-Year-Old Woman With Down Syndrome Graduates From Rowan University Disproving Critics

Jun 10, 2020 by apost team

In Medford, New Jersey, a college graduate makes history at Rowan University as the first graduate from a four-year program with Down Syndrome. 24-year-old AnnaRose Rubright, despite being born with the disorder, set a goal to earn her Bachelor's degree right along with her friends and peers.

After graduating from Shawnee High School, she obtained her associate's degree from Rowan Community College in 2017 and then later transferred to its main campus. AnnaRose graduated with a Bachelor of Arts major in radio, television, and film, and with a minor in journalism.

With her impressive grade point average of 3,426, she was inducted into Delta Alpha Pi, a national honor society for students with disabilities. Let's take a look at the challenges she had to endure in order to accomplish this motivational feat.

Not all college students graduate from college in only four years, or even in six. College is definitely a challenge and a testament to the work and determination a student has to accomplish their goals. This applies even more for young adults with disabilities. The National Center for Special Education Research study shows that only 34 percent of disabled college students complete a four-year program. With high stakes, there must be something even higher.

When it comes to AnnaRose, her mother, Lin, says that her daughter’s success is due to her firm resolve to finish her goals and become more independent. AnnaRose would get frustrated with her studies and call home like any student under stress. With her drive to finish what she started, AnnaRose presses ahead even stronger.

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So often people with disabilities are seen as people who can’t do many things. Rather than focusing on the limitations, the world should focus on what is accomplishable and encourage that. The director of disability resources, John Woodruff, states that the bar was not lowered for anyone. "This is rare, her achievement is amazing," he said. The standards were held firm for each student, with or without disabilities. Forbes reports, "They have the same expectations to complete and pass the course."

This, however, does not mean all students were left to fend for themselves. Students at Rowan University with disabilities were given campus support services to use as needed. These include workshops on good study skills and tutors. These came in handy but it does not replace the work that must be done. Her mom recalls times where AnnaRose was working an hour to three hours on assignments that would take a student with disabilities maybe 20 minutes.

The difficulty depends most on the context and vocabulary of the material. Her mom was happy that her daughter had an associate’s degree, but her daughter wasn’t satisfied just yet. She had her sights set on accomplishing her goal. AnnaRose made a decision to use her major and experiences to encourage more inclusivity for people with disabilities.

According to Courier Post, she addressed a panel at the United Nations and lobbied for disability rights in D.C. and Trenton. She even worked on videos for the National Down Syndrome Society. As the oldest of six sisters, she was born in the position to be the role model for her family and all who look up to her.

In May of 2020, AnnaRose received her degree via a Zoom conference call in accordance with social distancing restrictions. This didn’t stop the event from being very emotional. The special commencement speaker, New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney, praised AnnaRose during the virtual graduation ceremony as reported by Forbes.

CBS Philadelphia noted that AnnaRose will use her degree to become an entrepreneur and start a family production company. Through her studies, she has fallen in love with online media, podcasts, documentaries, and storytelling. With her company, she plans to tell more impactful stories for people with disabilities. "Law Syndrome" is just one of the unfair laws that she hopes to shed light on so companies can no longer profit off of the disabled. Truly a positive role model and advocate for a brighter future.

If you found this story motivating or touching, please spread her inspiration to more people who have big dreams. This could be contagious and help someone else be just as successful. What are some of the struggles that you face every day? Tell us your story and read how others have overcome similar in the comments section.