MISSION STATEMENT
My passion for helping others is something that has never diminished. I believe every single person has the capability to achieve their goals, whether abled body or not. My mission is to spread acceptance of others because we don’t know, let alone are aware of the bodily limitations some face. In the future, I plan to become a doctor in order to spread positivity and to gain self satisfaction of helping people. As humans, we are only granted some amount of time, therefore I want to live life in the moment and forget my fears, worries, and challenges and just be content with life.
My name is Michelle Wegrzyniak and I am a 17-year-old senior from Sport and Medical Sciences Academy in Hartford, CT. About four years ago I underwent a spinal fusion surgery from T-3 to L-4 of my spinal column, basically the majority of my spine. The following weeks proved to be very rough, painful, and tiring not only for myself, but for my whole entire family. It was during this period that I realized how thankful I should be for my body's ability to recover from this procedure. For my capstone, I realized I wanted to learn about the limitations that some faces so that I could showcase how taken for granted our able bodies are.
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After reaching out to Oak Hill Adaptive Sports and Fitness, I became an intern in-order to experience and understand the challenges that those with disabilities face. I was involved in their circuit class, where I compared how muscular and flexible their upper-body strength is to an able bodied person. After organizing and communicating with my mentor, Paul Weiland, I hosted a sitting volleyball game at SMSA. Here, I was able to teach students how adaptive sports still incorporate physical exercise and a competitive mindset, all while sitting. For my capstone, my focus was to make others value the powerful abilities of the human body because it isn't appreciated enough.
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