This week’s blog post was written by Mary: an MSU student, Bear Blazer, and Bear POWER sibling. She shares her families’ journey for her brother Thomas to pursue an inclusive college education, and how he found that at Missouri State. These two students are pretty amazing; we can’t say enough about their friendship and successes! Meet Mary and Thomas… 

Hello all! My name is Mary Cleek and I will be a senior at Missouri State University (MSU) this fall. My younger brother, Thomas, just got accepted into the inaugural class of students to be in the Bear POWER program and I couldn’t be more excited.

Having a sibling with special needs is the most beautiful challenge one can possibly receive. It means growing up a little bit faster than your peers, learning to put another before yourself, and realizing at a very young age that life isn’t fair and that’s perfectly alright. But it also means learning to see the world from an entirely different perspective, understanding that our differences are what make us so wonderfully unique, and learning to see the beauty in each and every person.

However, the greatest gift Thomas gave me is the passion he put in my heart for spending time with individuals with special needs. I’ve done this through organizations such as Special Olympics, Work It, and now Bear POWER. I am involved with Bear POWER as a student volunteer and a member of the Bear Blazer leadership committee. But I am especially connected to this group on campus because Thomas is a part of it.

The biggest uncertainty our family had for Thomas was what his plans would be after graduating high school. We looked into several programs around the state that he would be eligible for, but none of them were the right fit.

One morning, my mom sent me a link to the website for Bear POWER and asked me to look into it. The more I read the more confident I was of how perfect a fit this would be for Thomas. It was exactly what we had been looking for. Bear POWER will give Thomas the opportunity to take courses assisting him in the pursuit of his dream career, learn new life skills, and most importantly, attend college to form new friendships and grow as an overall person.

Flash forward to this school year and Thomas has been formally accepted into the Bear POWER program. This spring, he and seven other students will begin their journey at Missouri State

thanks to Bear POWER. We didn’t know what the plan was for Thomas after high school, but now we do. Let the memories begin!