Celeste Blodgett

My name is Celeste and I have a B.S in Psychological and Brain Sciences with a minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. I have four years of experience working in a disability services office for a major university, which has instilled in me a desire to ensure that students with disabilities receive the accommodations they are legally entitled to, ensuring they have the fullest ability to pursue their goals.

Personal Mission Statement:

I find immense satisfaction from helping individuals to the best of my ability. I thrive in providingempathicsupport. I am committed to the values of hard work, respect, kindness, positivity, communication, and equality, and justice for all peoples. Iwant to work with individuals with disabilities in a university setting toensure they receive the resources they need to thrive on an academic, social, and personal level.

Experience:

My freshman year of college I worked as a Classroom Access Assistant in the UMass Office of Disability Services. For the year I was assigned to a student with cerebral palsy who could not write or operate doors independently. It was my duty to meet her before her French class, escort her to class, help in class with note taking and assignments, scribing for tests, etcetera, and ensure that she got to her next destination safely. This work gave me knowledge around disability rights and an enriched perspective.

My sophomore year I began working on the Note Taking team within the Office of Disability Services. Managing the program requires a massive amount of detail-oriented work, record keeping, and managing communication streaming in and out from professors, students, note takers, and administrators. I have gained organizational skills, computer skills, communication skills, public speaking skills, knowledge around disability rights, and so much more from holding this position the last three years of college.

My work at Disability Services was acknowledged in the Spring of 2017 when I was awarded the Gerald F. Scanlon Student Employee of the Year Award, a prestigious campus wide award that recognized excellence in the workplace.

Goals:

I am pursuing a career in student affairs within an office that focuses on students with disabilities. I firmly believe that all students should be provided the resources they need in order to achieve a fulfilling college experience.

Top Three Skills:

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