Meet Isabelle, Our New Summer Intern

Hi everyone, my name is Isabelle Ketchum and I’m 18 years old.   I attend Elmhurst college and this is the end of my freshmen year.  I’m about to be a sophomore.  I can’t wait to embark on a new chapter in my life let’s get started.     

For starters, I have Down syndrome which is an extra copy of your 21st chromosome.  It was hard on my parents when they got the news.  They were first time parents and didn’t know what Down syndrome was.   So they read books about it to figure out how to raise me.  They were blinded by love for me and didn’t let any stereotypes get in the way.  They made me who I am today.

College Life

Then something happened and that something is Elmhurst college in Elmhurst,  Illinois.  I applied to other schools that I got in to, but my heart was set on Elmhurst for a few reasons.  One, it is a welcoming community;  two, people are nice and lastly, I’m in a program called the ELSA program.  What is ELSA?  It is Elmhurst Learning Success Academy.   It teaches you how to advocate for yourself and basic life skills.   I got so much out of it.  I know how to stand up for myself and basic math.  It is cool program. If you’re a parent of a special needs child I recommend this program.  My favorite class would have to be career exploration.  This class helps you find a job that see yourself doing in the future and the class helps you build resumes and helps you with interviews.

My Future

My major is special education teaching. I want to teach kids who were abandoned by their parents and are growing up in government care.  These places destroy children who are neglected, abused and labeled unteachable.  I want to travel to Bulgaria and Ukraine because there a lot of physically disabled and mentally disabled children living in bad conditions.  There are videos on this topic if you go on YouTube and watch. Bulgaria’s abandoned children and Ukraine’s forgotten children are real children who were abused.  The content is hard to see but is important to know.  I want to be a light in their darkness and give them an education they need because it should not matter what you have.  They live in a broken system that I will gladly fix so children won’t have to suffer from any more pain.  Even better, I will be the voice of children that are still living there and for children who are no longer with us.

This summer I’m working at GiGi’s playhouse,  a Down syndrome achievement center in Chicago.  It is a place where children get therapy and play.  I help with their programs for toddlers and babies.  It is a place of acceptance and parents enjoy it.  I have the pleasure of working with the amazing and dedicated director, her name is Amy.   She loves her job and puts her heart in to it.  Parents and children look up to her a lot she doesn’t even know it.

Thanks for reading and have a nice day.   Here is a video of me when I was accepted to Elmhurst College!