Kaliq Thorne '19 Recruiting Profile

                                                          Personal Statement

Christmas morning was only hours away! I was so excited that the Playstation 4 I had asked for could be under the Christmas tree. The smell of the hot chocolate with a hint of mint tickled my nose. I was standing admiring the Christmas tree - the glass ornaments on it were glowing so bright that it captured the reflection of a brown-eyed little boy who stood exactly five foot one inches tall with a brilliant smile. My smile quickly faded, when a cry upstairs caught my attention. Within moments my uncle was downstairs with his face the full of tears. He muttered,“Get dressed.” As I pulled on a sweatshirt and jeans my mind raced as I tried to imagine where we were going and what happened.  We finally arrived and I was at my great grandparents’ house. I slowly walked up the steps and when we met the doorstep it was like a strong weight hit me; I froze. When we walked through the door, we saw the whole family together with their heads down and cries coming from the back room. I went over to greet my great-grandparents and before I can say anything, I hear, “Your uncle died today due to a heart attack.” I took a moment to recount memories that flashed before my eyes. I thought it was a lie; I ran up the twelve steps that I had skipped up a million times before. I peeked in his room, hoping to see him watching his favorite show. The bed was empty . I could not believe I lost my uncle; losing my uncle felt like an anchor dropped sinking it the lowest depths of the ocean. My uncle was a man with Down Syndrome and he accomplished so much.  For example, My uncle graduate school with his disability also he performed in big name theater, The Kennedy Center was very inspiring. His achievements motivated me to realize that I can work toward any goal put my mind to because his disability never stopped him. I am a more of a young adult I have learned that growing up I will be face with challenges but is how I overcome and learn from it.