Evangeline

Evangeline, 21, is my amazing younger sister and the inspiration behind The T21 Project. A native of Wilmington, North Carolina, she’s a ceramicist, a Special Olympics field games athlete, a former thespian, and recent high school graduate. Evangeline is now enrolled in a young adults’ transitional program which meets at the local university. She’s very proud to work part-time at a skating rink, spraying skates and washing windows and tables, with a new promotion to the snack bar.

In her special education high school classroom, Evangeline was a Teacher’s Assistant, helping the teachers by making copies and filing papers. Her teacher Emerald writes, “Evangeline is highly motivated by independence and loves any task that she is able to do on her own. She loved to share details about her classroom and community jobs with anyone who would listen. She is so proud of what she can accomplish independently, and she is capable of doing so much more than people might initially think.”

It was also at school that she first fell in love with ceramics, and went on to take several semesters of the course. Her claim to fame are her angular pots, shown below.

Evangeline’s hobbies outside of school have included basketball, tennis, dance classes, gymnastics, track and field at Special Olympics’ field games, training at the gym, and acting as part of a theatre troupe called Theatre for All. The state provides 20 hours per week of developmental therapy, which involves working on personal and vocational goals with her “buddy,” a Direct Support Professional. While at home, she loves playing Disney Zombies and Star Wars on her portable DVD player, and the High School Musical soundtrack on her karaoke machine. She’s also known to swing in the backyard for an hour at a time! Evangeline’s archery and frisbee golf sets are two other favorites of hers.

Evangeline is very proud to be a member of the Down syndrome community. She knows that she can reach for the stars, and reach for the stars she will.