Before starting careers, Panther LIFE alumni master school, independent living

Panther LIFE students graduated from the program Aug. 5.

When William Perry saw his older sister move away to Michigan for college, it was something he knew would also be in his future.

It wouldn’t be easy for Perry, because there are few postsecondary transition programs for persons with intellectual disabilities in Florida. When his family learned of the College of Education’s Project Panther LIFE, however, they knew it would be the perfect fit for him.

“From the time he stepped on campus, he has been a diehard Panther,” said Dynise Perry, William’s mother. “He’s grown leaps and bounds. The journey has been amazing.”

On Aug. 5, William Perry and three other members of Panther LIFE, Limarkis Cail, Michael Deschapell and Vanessa Suazo, showed how much they grew and learned during a graduation ceremony of their own.

Leaders from the College of Education, Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the non-profit group Parent to Parent of Miami, which supports Panther LIFE, acknowledged the foursome for their dedication to academics and their perseverance in balancing school, work and family life.

“Today ends a chapter in their college experience and we hope they’ll find employment that is meaningful and inclusive,” said Diana Valle-Riestra, director of the Panther LIFE program. “I hope they dream big and they are able to move on to independent living, continue their education and come back to be a role model for other Panther LIFE students.”

Valle-Riestra marveled at how Suazo was able to accomplish so much during her three years in the program: becoming the first Panther LIFE student to have a published article, taking part in conferences and holding two internships, one with Parent to Parent of Miami and another in the Miami office of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.

“I found that I really liked talking to people and when I was at Parent to Parent, I would help set up workshops that helped parents if their child had learning problems,” Suazo said. “I would help develop a plan on how to approach a teacher or school to ask for help with their child. I was being a comfort for the parents who had children with special needs.

“I was really blessed with this opportunity,” she added.

Her classmate, Deschappell, wasn’t shy either. While in the PantherLIFE program, he found a job as a weight room attendant at the FIU Wellness and Recreation Center.

“I had to make sure all the students and faculty have the correct attire,” he said. “My favorite part was having conversations with students because they started recognizing me all the time. It was cool. It was like I’m famous.”

But that job helped Deschapell grow in other ways, helping him learn about responsibility, managing his schedule, and helping others, said Associate Dean Thomas G. Reio. Jr., his faculty advisor.

“What I admire about him is that he’s willing to try,” Reio said. “He has a can-do spirit that I love. He didn’t want to be isolated from other students.”

Through Panther LIFE, Deschappell did have some time in the limelight, testifying before Florida’s State Board of Education on the impact that programs like PantherLIFE have on people with intellectual disabilities.

“I remember how confident and calm he was and how nervous I was,” Valle-Riestra said.

Cail, meanwhile, also found success as a Special Olympics athlete, balancing the commitments of school and work, and delivering a presentation at a Hartwick symposium.

“I was secretly thrilled that he was selected for the Panther LIFE program because I remembered what it would mean to his whole family that he would come to college and be a role model for his younger brothers and sisters,” Valle-Riestra said. “When Limarkis transitioned to an internship at Sluggers Batting Cages, he put in 23 hours a week. He went above the requirement of 20 hours – not an easy task while going to school and meeting all your program responsibilities.”

What’s next for these students? Starting careers.

Deschapell plans to work at the Wellness and Recreation Center for at least another semester and Suazo is hoping to eventually become a counselor offering help to people with special needs.

William Perry knows his next step will be making sure his parents have an empty nest. Like his fellow classmates, he went through Panther LIFE’s residential program, where he learned to cook, budget his money, live with a roommate and manage his own schedule while living on campus.

“I’m going to look for work,” he said. “I’m ready to move out of my parents’ home and live in my own apartment.”