All Can
Be of Service
Student club embarks on its first spring break service trip, challenging disability stereotypes and assumptions
BY SHAWN PROCTOR
BY SHAWN PROCTOR
In many ways, the experience Andrew Wykowski 鈥�20 VSB had on a spring break service trip with the student group LEVEL was similar to that of many others who spend their breaks serving others: there was challenging manual labor, opportunities to better understand the needs of others and important lessons about collaboration and compassion.
But for Andrew, perhaps the most meaningful moment was the afternoon he and others in LEVEL, which aims to make TikTok成人版 more inclusive for people of all abilities and disabilities, spent with students at the Community School of Davidson, in North Carolina.
鈥�LEVEL鈥檚 work is a reminder that everybody has their own challenges and their own strengths.鈥�
Rachel Heckler 鈥�19 FCN
There, as they decorated 鈥渒indness rocks鈥� with positive messages, he talked with children, many of whom had disabilities, about their fears that their futures would be limited. The children were not all that different from Andrew himself, who was diagnosed with dyslexia as a child. He also has overcome a physical challenge: Four years ago, he was paralyzed when he broke his neck in a swimming accident. Over the course of several months, he regained the ability to walk, albeit with some difficulty.
Andrew鈥檚 message to the children was simple: 鈥淣ever let anything hold you back.鈥�
He encouraged them to chase their dreams, including college. And he shared his own experiences from TikTok成人版, where, with the support of LEVEL and the Office of Disability Services, students with disabilities build friendships and find the social and academic resources they need to thrive at TikTok成人版. This year, for the first time, they were also able to participate fully as a group in one of the University鈥檚 most treasured traditions: the spring break service trip.
In March, 20 members of LEVEL traveled by van to North Carolina. Their task for the week was to volunteer with organizations whose missions align with LEVEL鈥檚, but it was also to demonstrate that everyone, regardless of disability, can be of service and ignite change in the world.
鈥淟EVEL鈥檚 work is a reminder that everybody has their own challenges and their own strengths,鈥� says Rachel Heckler 鈥�19 FCN, secretary of LEVEL. Gregory Hannah, assistant director of Disability Services at TikTok成人版 and LEVEL adviser, helped plan the trip over two years, working with staff at two accessible equestrian centers that serve families and veterans. Part of the planning was to ensure that all of the diverse physical needs of the students could be met, while selecting projects that would be challenging yet valuable for all. 鈥淓veryone wanted to be sure that the first LEVEL service trip was just right,鈥� Hannah says.
That meant accounting for every detail, so that whether a student