“The only limits that exist are the ones in your own mind”. I have learned a lot about limits through my First-Year Seminar: Exploring the Portrayal of Mental Illness and Disease in the Media. Whoever said limits were meant to be broken, is right. Throughout the course of this class we took visits to Ruby Van Meter; which is a school for students only with intellectual disabilities. One week, we set up a homecoming carnival for the students to play fun carnival games and win prizes. All the smiles and laughter and eagerness to obtain a prize filled the school. Seeing their smiles after I handed them their prize was so heart-warming. Almost every single student got to participate in each of the carnival games, whether it was throwing pies at our faces or stepping up and taking a silly picture in the photo booth with a rocking face painting covering their face. These students were capable of so much more than what their disabilities define them as; they can do many of the things you and I do. They for sure defy their limits. Sharing this incredible homecoming experience with these students is something I will never forget. The students at Ruby Van Meter are an inspiration to crushing your limits.
Written by Maddie Monahan, First-year student
