** Please note: Mary is excited about sharing her story with our communities and I hope you will enjoy the series as she grows and reaches her educational goals with MCC. However, since Mary is blind and lives a lone and the college wanted to protect her as much as possible so we have omitted her last name and where she lives. If you have any questions, please contact Beth Morris.
Story written by Joyce Boone, Mayland Community College Recruiter
Mary's sun-tanned toes wiggled back and forth as they teased the toasted Nags Head sand atop Jockey’s Ridge; her perfect gleaming white smile broadened as she ever so slightly tilted her head upward facing the call of the brown pelican gliding over the Roanoke Sound Estuary.
With sand temperatures reaching 30 degrees hotter than the outdoor air, 5,000 year old Jockey’s Ridge (one of the most magnificent landmarks on North Carolina Outer Banks), is the tallest and widest natural sand dune on the U.S. East Coast, spanning 420 acres and reaching 100 feet at its highest point. Depending on weather patterns, the Jockey’s Ridge shape and structure change constantly with fulgurites created by frequent lightning storms adorning her sands which welcome over one million visitors annually into the Jockey’s Ridge State Park. From the ridge's crest, folks can see ten miles in all directions as they view the glistening dark blue Atlantic waters, the Bodie Island Lighthouse, and the sun-filled skies which serve as backdrop for bouncing hang gliders, brightly colored kites, blue herons and sandpipers.
It is in this nostalgic setting that Mary, the heroine of this "to be continued" story, recently enjoyed a week with friends, experiencing the alluring east coast wonders of her home state. Mary was thrilled to boast "a real fine catch" when she participated in a coastal fishing tournament; she spoke with excitement regarding her climb up Jockey’s Ridge, her visit to the Wright Brother's memorial, walks along the seashore, enjoyment of nature's fragrances and sounds of sand and surf, the embrace of balmy winds and the cry of seagulls as they skimmed the ocean searching for a meal of small bait fish.
Mary said she "loved every second" of her trip to North Carolina Outer Banks emphasizing the cool sensation of the wet sand beneath her feet during a night stroll on the beach and including the mouth-watering satisfaction of the delicious fresh coastal cuisine.
Returning from the beach trip to her Western North Carolina home recently, Mary passionately resumed her busy routine as an adult student in the Learning Lab at Mayland Community College, as a gifted and loyal vocalist in her church choir and as an eager and serious student learning to play the guitar. Mary said she loves all music, but especially country music and "the new modern music"; she spends hours preparing favorite meals, doing laundry and errands, cleaning house, keeping appointments and being a trusted best friend and caregiver to Cajun, her beautiful black Lab who never leaves Mary's presence.
Speaking with perfect grammar and pronunciation, Mary can pierce the very heart of her listeners with her sweet knowing gaze and words of wisdom. With auburn hair and lovely eyes the color of ripe Fall chestnuts she sports spontaneous uninhibited laughter and holds her audience spellbound by her sheer love for life and the passionate assurance she has regarding her life's mission. Mary loves, studies, converses, serves and lives with an unrestrained certainty and clarity as she focuses on her purpose. Sitting in her presence forces reconsideration of one's own wise use of abilities, talents, opportunities, and specific goals for the future.
Mary attended High School in Raleigh where she successfully completed all required class hours for high school and where she thoroughly enjoyed working as a teacher's assistant serving blind children with special, sometimes severe, handicaps. Mary is presently studying with the Mayland Community College Adult Education Department to complete her high school equivalency through the GED Diploma program so that she will be eligible to take the college entrance exam and begin work on an advanced degree which will allow her to embark on her life's mission: teaching/serving/encouraging/counseling those, especially children, with special needs.
It seems this impressive, lovely 22 year old has harnessed enormous energy from the lifetime of ongoing battles and victories she has experienced and she channels this powerful source of strength into a passionate determination with which she grasps and senses the beauty in every moment of life and in the goals she has set for her future..for you see, Mary was born with retinitis pigmentosa ,a genetic eye disease which gradually worsens until sight is totally gone, which is what happened to Mary in the Spring of this year, April 2011.
Mary's story, from birth to present, is captivating and we sincerely appreciate her willingness to share it with us as a means of encouragement to face and overcome life's challenges; hopefully Mary's story will help guide us to be even more vigilant in the quest to reach our own full potential. Please watch for future segments of "Meeting Mary" as we share this remarkable young woman's journey toward her compelling life's vision.
With sand temperatures reaching 30 degrees hotter than the outdoor air, 5,000 year old Jockey’s Ridge (one of the most magnificent landmarks on North Carolina Outer Banks), is the tallest and widest natural sand dune on the U.S. East Coast, spanning 420 acres and reaching 100 feet at its highest point. Depending on weather patterns, the Jockey’s Ridge shape and structure change constantly with fulgurites created by frequent lightning storms adorning her sands which welcome over one million visitors annually into the Jockey’s Ridge State Park. From the ridge's crest, folks can see ten miles in all directions as they view the glistening dark blue Atlantic waters, the Bodie Island Lighthouse, and the sun-filled skies which serve as backdrop for bouncing hang gliders, brightly colored kites, blue herons and sandpipers.
It is in this nostalgic setting that Mary, the heroine of this "to be continued" story, recently enjoyed a week with friends, experiencing the alluring east coast wonders of her home state. Mary was thrilled to boast "a real fine catch" when she participated in a coastal fishing tournament; she spoke with excitement regarding her climb up Jockey’s Ridge, her visit to the Wright Brother's memorial, walks along the seashore, enjoyment of nature's fragrances and sounds of sand and surf, the embrace of balmy winds and the cry of seagulls as they skimmed the ocean searching for a meal of small bait fish.
Mary said she "loved every second" of her trip to North Carolina Outer Banks emphasizing the cool sensation of the wet sand beneath her feet during a night stroll on the beach and including the mouth-watering satisfaction of the delicious fresh coastal cuisine.
Returning from the beach trip to her Western North Carolina home recently, Mary passionately resumed her busy routine as an adult student in the Learning Lab at Mayland Community College, as a gifted and loyal vocalist in her church choir and as an eager and serious student learning to play the guitar. Mary said she loves all music, but especially country music and "the new modern music"; she spends hours preparing favorite meals, doing laundry and errands, cleaning house, keeping appointments and being a trusted best friend and caregiver to Cajun, her beautiful black Lab who never leaves Mary's presence.
Speaking with perfect grammar and pronunciation, Mary can pierce the very heart of her listeners with her sweet knowing gaze and words of wisdom. With auburn hair and lovely eyes the color of ripe Fall chestnuts she sports spontaneous uninhibited laughter and holds her audience spellbound by her sheer love for life and the passionate assurance she has regarding her life's mission. Mary loves, studies, converses, serves and lives with an unrestrained certainty and clarity as she focuses on her purpose. Sitting in her presence forces reconsideration of one's own wise use of abilities, talents, opportunities, and specific goals for the future.
Mary attended High School in Raleigh where she successfully completed all required class hours for high school and where she thoroughly enjoyed working as a teacher's assistant serving blind children with special, sometimes severe, handicaps. Mary is presently studying with the Mayland Community College Adult Education Department to complete her high school equivalency through the GED Diploma program so that she will be eligible to take the college entrance exam and begin work on an advanced degree which will allow her to embark on her life's mission: teaching/serving/encouraging/counseling those, especially children, with special needs.
It seems this impressive, lovely 22 year old has harnessed enormous energy from the lifetime of ongoing battles and victories she has experienced and she channels this powerful source of strength into a passionate determination with which she grasps and senses the beauty in every moment of life and in the goals she has set for her future..for you see, Mary was born with retinitis pigmentosa ,a genetic eye disease which gradually worsens until sight is totally gone, which is what happened to Mary in the Spring of this year, April 2011.
Mary's story, from birth to present, is captivating and we sincerely appreciate her willingness to share it with us as a means of encouragement to face and overcome life's challenges; hopefully Mary's story will help guide us to be even more vigilant in the quest to reach our own full potential. Please watch for future segments of "Meeting Mary" as we share this remarkable young woman's journey toward her compelling life's vision.
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