Sarah Bak and Shepherds College

 

Bridget’s Blog for Jan 2023  Sarah Bak

Sarah Bak and Shepherds College

Hi everyone, I hope you are all doing well after the holidays have gone by. I hope you had a New Year’s blast with your family and friends?  Now we are in 2023 and a brand-new year has begun.

 

I had a party with my two friends, Ashley and Rachel, who I wrote about in my last blog.  They had a party and invited a lot of people and we all had a fantastic time. I think this is one of the first times I have been invited to a New Year's Party. We had a blast.

 Let me tell you about a friend of mine named Sarah Bak, I know Sarah because we acted together in the Ups for Downs theater program with EDGE of Orion. Sarah is a young woman who captures love through her heart and smile.

Sarah graduated from Glenbard West high school in Glen Ellyn. She was involved in the Dance team and a cheerleader.  She did a lot of really fun activities in high school. One of her favorite classes was Horticulture.

 

Sarah has been in many plays and is a wonderful actress. She was a very funny maid in Mary Poppins, and she was a really scary Ursula in the Little Mermaid. Through the EDGE of ORION she has participated in many different plays. We had the chance to act together in a lot of plays.

 

Sarah is one of the self-Advocate from the NADS group SAIA. And a very strong and active person.

 

This is Sarah’s second year as a college student at Shepherd College in Union Grove near Kenosha.   She loves going to college and had lots to tell me about her experience. She is living with 6 roommates. The three roommates she mentioned are Amber, Margie, and Maria.   They live in a townhouse that is at the school. She has learned to be very independent.  She learns money skills and daily living activities and professional development that will lead to employment.

When she started college, she was a little nervous and afraid to be far away from home.  She got help to deal with the transition and it took a few weeks but soon she was fine.

 

She and her roommates share their meals together. She is responsible for a meal once a week.   She loves to cook and enjoys other people’s cooking as well. When she makes meals in her town house lasagna soup and tortilla soup are her Signature items.  Making meals helps her learn to be independently because she goes, plans her menu, and shops for all the items.

 

In the summer she loves helping with the garden and growing plants and veggies. The school has two gardens and a greenhouse and a farm stand.

She is in Choir & drama club.

Her social life is very important. They do parties like Halloween, holidays & thanksgiving.  They go to movies, coffee shops, carnivals, festivals, and holiday events.

Part of the life skills she has learned is how to be a self-advocate and to use her voice and speak up for herself.  She thinks that is a really good skill.  Her self-determination has grown since she started college. She asked others if she needs help

 

Shepherds College has a strong faith base. Sarah, is growing her spiritual relationships by going to SouthBrook church in the area.  She has a group on spiritual formation and goes to bible class as well. She Learns about the word of the bible while she attends Church on Sundays.

 

After her 3 years at Shepherds College, her goal is to live in Orlando Florida and to work for Disney and grow plants in a green house. She loves Disney world and the magic kingdom is her favorite place because her cousin works there. Her favorite flower is daffodils.

 

Her BIG dream is to own her own floral shop in Florida.

 

Sarah is having a great time in college and loves being more independent.  She is a pretty amazing person and I loved learning more about her life

 

Sarah’s ideas about being successful are:

·         Never give up!

·         Keep on going on,

·         Try hard.

·         Know what your purpose is

·         Get support from others when you need it and from your advisors

·         Never give up on yourself and work hard

·         Speak up for yourself.

·         Be organized and pay attention

·         Even if you are nervous, remember we are all nervous when we start new experiences. But keep going and you will be okay

 

 

Have a great start to the new year!

Bridget