Learning Ally's College Success Program podcast - College Knowledge - has officially launched! College Knowledge by Learning Ally
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Learning Ally's College Success Program podcast - College Knowledge - has officially launched! Being a college student with a visual impairment can be challenging but connecting to the College Success Program can help you make the most of this experience and succeed in reaching your goals. Join our mentors and cohosts, Bryan Duarte, Rachel Grider and Rashad Jones as they explore the academic, the professional, and the personal aspects of College Knowledge. If you are a college student who is blind or who has low vision, or you are curious about the world of college and visual impairment, this show is for you! Episode 1: Welcome to the College Success Program! In this inaugural episode of College Knowledge, our hosts interview two members of Learning Ally's College Success Program staff. Learn more about the program's history and origins, as well as about the program's hopes for the future. Click here for Episode 1: Welcome to the College Success Program! Podcast Link Learn more about the College Success Program and sign up at learningally.org/CollegeSuccess. Episode 1: Welcome to the College Success Program! Transcript Rachel Grider: Welcome to College Knowledge. Learning Ally's podcast for college students who are blind or visually impaired. We will being with episode 1 - A very brief history of college success at Learning Ally. In this episode we will introduce you to some of the program staff and explain briefly what the program is about. Here to help unearth this history is my co-host, Rashad Jones. Rashad Jones: Thanks Rachel. But before we get to that, I think we should probably tell our listeners why we’re here in the first place. So, what got you interested in the program? Rachel Grider: Well Rashad, I have been blind all my life. I have always had a passion for music and I earned Bachelor’s degrees in vocal performance and composition and Master’s degree in voice performance and music theory pedagogy. After I graduated in 2013, I moved back to California to teach. I am currently teaching voice at an Arts Academy and choir at a local high school, as well as performing freelance. I began working as a CSP mentor in 2017 and I have really enjoyed it. I have learned a great deal from my colleagues and students and I really value the many discussions I have had with them. This program is such a great resource and I wish that it had been available to me when I was in school. So, how about you Rashad? Rashad Jones: Well thanks Rachel. I’m Rashad Jones and I’m excited to be one of the hosts in College Knowledge, I really am. I have retinopathy of prematurity so that’s what caused my visual impairment. So it’s something I have dealt with all my life. I work at a local center, independent living, here in my hometown called Access to Independence. There, I help students of all ages focus on goals and developing their futures. I’ve worked for Learning Ally since 2016, and my students and I teach one another on a regular basis. You know, I was struggling in college, a music education major - so we’ve got some similarities there. But I was trying to figure it all out, often times on my own. So I really know what it's like to feel like you’re the only blind college student around anywhere. I know what it's like to know that you have potential but not really know how to unlock that potential. I’m excited to share some tips and tricks that will hopefully make your journey a little bit better and more fulfilling. Rachel Grider: Well, enough about us. Let's hear from our guests. Do you have our first guest Rashad? Rashad Jones: Yeah, I sure do. Our first guest is Kristen Witucki, our curriculum and content editor who has been part of Learning Ally since 1993, part of its staff since off and on since 2005 and part of the program since 2014. Blind since birth, Kristen wears many hats in her life. In the CSP, College Success Program, she’s in charge of hunting down engaging content for you, the students.
Learning Ally's College Success Program podcast - College Knowledge - has officially launched! Being a college student with a visual impairment can be challenging but connecting to the College Success Program can help you make the most of this experience and succeed in reaching your goals. Join our mentors and cohosts, Bryan Duarte, Rachel Grider and Rashad Jones as they explore the academic, the professional, and the personal aspects of College Knowledge. If you are a college student who is blind or who has low vision, or you are curious about the world of college and visual impairment, this show is for you! Episode 1: Welcome to the College Success Program! In this inaugural episode of College Knowledge, our hosts interview two members of Learning Ally's College Success Program staff. Learn more about the program's history and origins, as well as about the program's hopes for the future. Click here for Episode 1: Welcome to the College Success Program! Podcast Link Learn more about the College Success Program and sign up at learningally.org/CollegeSuccess. Episode 1: Welcome to the College Success Program! Transcript Rachel Grider: Welcome to College Knowledge. Learning Ally's podcast for college students who are blind or visually impaired. We will being with episode 1 - A very brief history of college success at Learning Ally. In this episode we will introduce you to some of the program staff and explain briefly what the program is about. Here to help unearth this history is my co-host, Rashad Jones. Rashad Jones: Thanks Rachel. But before we get to that, I think we should probably tell our listeners why we’re here in the first place. So, what got you interested in the program? Rachel Grider: Well Rashad, I have been blind all my life. I have always had a passion for music and I earned Bachelor’s degrees in vocal performance and composition and Master’s degree in voice performance and music theory pedagogy. After I graduated in 2013, I moved back to California to teach. I am currently teaching voice at an Arts Academy and choir at a local high school, as well as performing freelance. I began working as a CSP mentor in 2017 and I have really enjoyed it. I have learned a great deal from my colleagues and students and I really value the many discussions I have had with them. This program is such a great resource and I wish that it had been available to me when I was in school. So, how about you Rashad? Rashad Jones: Well thanks Rachel. I’m Rashad Jones and I’m excited to be one of the hosts in College Knowledge, I really am. I have retinopathy of prematurity so that’s what caused my visual impairment. So it’s something I have dealt with all my life. I work at a local center, independent living, here in my hometown called Access to Independence. There, I help students of all ages focus on goals and developing their futures. I’ve worked for Learning Ally since 2016, and my students and I teach one another on a regular basis. You know, I was struggling in college, a music education major - so we’ve got some similarities there. But I was trying to figure it all out, often times on my own. So I really know what it's like to feel like you’re the only blind college student around anywhere. I know what it's like to know that you have potential but not really know how to unlock that potential. I’m excited to share some tips and tricks that will hopefully make your journey a little bit better and more fulfilling. Rachel Grider: Well, enough about us. Let's hear from our guests. Do you have our first guest Rashad? Rashad Jones: Yeah, I sure do. Our first guest is Kristen Witucki, our curriculum and content editor who has been part of Learning Ally since 1993, part of its staff since off and on since 2005 and part of the program since 2014. Blind since birth, Kristen wears many hats in her life. In the CSP, College Success Program, she’s in charge of hunting down engaging content for you, the students.