As told by David Nelson
UVU is a place for students with big dreams.
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I’ve had a very emotional journey from my lowest low to where I am now. I went and I served a mission for my church, and I ended up getting a tumor inside my spinal cord that cut off the nerves to my legs. I ended up getting sent home and had surgery. I couldn't walk, and I couldn't do anything for myself. I had to move back in with my parents and have them be my caretakers.
I have an invisible disability — people would never know unless I tell them or unless I walk with my limp, which I’ve worked really hard to get rid of. I went from being a completely able-bodied person to [not being able] to do anything by myself. I couldn't even get out of a bed or a chair by myself. I couldn't go to the bathroom, couldn't shower — couldn't do anything by myself.
That takes a toll on a person, especially when you're an adult, and you feel like you took 10 steps backward. My parents are amazing and supportive. However, it doesn’t matter how incredible they are — it is frustrating when you can't do things for yourself. I had to relearn how to walk and how to do everyday life things and accept that my life was never going to look the same.
At one point, my brain really switched to wanting something to help with my mental health and not just focus on my recovery. UVU was a great option because they had open enrollment, it was close to where I lived, and they would allow for just easing me back into school [and] into classes, especially when I couldn't walk very well. They were really accommodating. And the accessibility department has been just amazing.
I was really nervous to go to any school. I was terrified because I needed so many accommodations; I didn't know what resources were available. I talked to an advisor at UVU and kind of explained my situation. At that time, nine months after surgery, I couldn't sit for more than about 15 minutes without needing to stand up and just stretch, and I couldn't walk very well. I was going to be tardy to my classes — I was concerned about getting there on time. I also needed a certain type of chair to sit in and a location in the classrooms where I wouldn't be a distraction.
I was concerned that maybe I wouldn't be disabled enough to get accommodations. I couldn't have been more wrong. [The people in] UVU’s Accessibility Services office were so kind and caring with my situation. They outlined all the different things that I could qualify for: I was able to show up late for class, able to have an accommodative seat, I could put my legs up because that helps with my nerve damage, I could stand up. And they also talked to all my professors for me, so I didn't even have to do that. I didn't have to tell them what was wrong. It was incredible — it gave me a lot of confidence going to class.
Resources and accommodations are very empowering for a disabled person. They just take away one more thing that you have to think about. When someone else has that resource available for you, then you're able to focus on what's important, and not have everything additional weighing you down. I could focus on my education and not all the other things that were going on in my life.
I’ve had so many advisors and counselors in the Accessibility Services office that empowered me to feel that, even though my semesters might look different than everybody else's and I might need a little bit more than just your average student, it doesn't mean that it's impossible. If anything, it made it more sweet. I was so much more appreciative of the opportunity to do these things because I recognized how rare of an opportunity they can be for some, and especially for people with disabilities.
Through my journey, I’ve learned that time is limited. You never know what's going to happen. I decided that I want to do all that I can now to live the life that I want and do the things that interest me. Traveling has always interested me. I decided that I wasn't going to let my disability or anything else hold me back from that.
I was told by a lot of doctors that I'll probably end up in a wheelchair by the time I'm 40. It made me want to live and to go out and do these things. I hear all these older people talking about traveling once they finally retire. Since that might not look the same for me, I want to do that now. So, I started really looking into the different options available. I just didn't know quite where I wanted to go.
I found out about the national student exchange program, and I went and met with UVU Career Development Counselor Sue Stephenson. She helped me see all my options within the states and U.S. territories. At that time, I wanted a more multicultural experience. This was in 2020, and there were a lot of different things happening politically that I knew I was very ignorant of, and I wanted to face that head-on.
I really wanted to go to a historically Black college. I [thought] that would be helpful for me to really learn from people from different cultures and backgrounds. I also really wanted water. I wanted to take a swimming class or something because that's the only place I don't feel disabled. With Sue’s help, we landed on the U.S. Virgin Islands. It was so culturally rich, and I got to take a snorkeling and scuba diving class for credit. It ended up just being this incredible academic learning experience but also a personal growth semester, and that made me want to do it again.
My most recent exchange was with the international study abroad department. I found this sister program called Euro Scholars; I was the first UVU student to do it. I spent a semester in Geneva, Switzerland, researching refugee education.
My study abroad experiences have opened my eyes to how many educational opportunities there are throughout the world. I've been able to study a lot of different types of education, focusing on multicultural and refugee education. I've also studied quite a bit in sex education, as well. All of those things have just made me want to help educate the world, go abroad, and teach workshops and maybe work in schools. I've also taught in China, which was completely different as well. I feel like I've taken little pieces that I've loved from all these different experiences, and I want to help create programs for kids all around the world.
UVU really helped play a big part in that. It made me just grateful every single day throughout my semesters abroad and made me so excited to come back to UVU and get other students excited and let them know that, no matter their circumstances, they can do this if they have a desire to travel abroad. You just really have to find the right advocates and the right help — and UVU has that.
UVU is a place for students with big dreams.
