My Bravest Moment

This guest blog post is written by Think College intern, Rachel Adams-Duffy. Rachel is a student at Turning Point at Bergen Community College and will be graduating in May 2022. Rachel is interested in writing and advocacy and has been an intern at Think College, working closely with Rebecca Lazo and Sheila Johnson throughout the Spring of 2022. Below, Rachel shares her thoughts on when her desire to advocate for herself began, and what it meant to her.

From as far back as I can remember, I always knew I had a voice I was meant to use to advocate for myself and for my peers around me who cannot vocalize their needs well. I always knew I had this gift and voice inside me that I was meant to share with the world. July 2018 is when my advocating journey began and this journey opened my eyes to so many opportunities and doors that I didn’t know existed and for that reason, I am grateful because after all of this time, it has finally allowed me to share my story and life experiences with others.

In high school, I didn’t believe I could go to college and expand my education. I made the dream become a reality because of my advocacy work. My teacher that taught me in the Student Transition Education Program said, “Rachel all you have to do is put your mind to it and believe in yourself. The only thing stopping you is yourself.”

My teacher that taught me in the Student Transition Education Program knew that I wanted to make an appointment with the social worker. With this, I went ahead and made an appointment and that is when I really began advocating for myself. An example of a time when I advocated for myself at school and academically was when I needed to take a written midterm. With that, I went to the testing center to request a scribe for my written midterm. This experience was successful and I did it all on my own.

About the blog author: My name is Rachel Adams-Duffy and I am in my final year at Bergen Community College in the Turning Point Program. I attended a variety of academic classes during my experience at Bergen. I am overwhelmingly excited to graduate and enjoy my summer with my family and friends. I live with my mom, dad, two sisters, and brother. I hope to return to school and receive a bachelor’s and master's degree in Child Social Work.