{"id":6279,"date":"2021-04-30T10:46:56","date_gmt":"2021-04-30T15:46:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=6279"},"modified":"2021-04-30T10:46:56","modified_gmt":"2021-04-30T15:46:56","slug":"uw-whitewater-student-opens-door-for-others-to-excel-too","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/uw-whitewater-student-opens-door-for-others-to-excel-too\/","title":{"rendered":"UW-Whitewater student opens door for others to excel, too"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo
Psychology student Thomas Hamilton on his way to a class in Upham Hall on the UW-Whitewater campus on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. (UW-Whitewater photo\/Craig Schreiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Thomas \u201cTC\u201d Hamilton has had the kind of college experience that many students dream about.<\/p>\n

A senior\u00a0psychology<\/a>\u00a0major at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, he\u2019s studied abroad, he\u2019s been a Warhawk Ambassador, he\u2019s received a college scholarship, he\u2019s held an on-campus job related to his major, and he\u2019s participated in the kinds of off-campus internships and employment sure to catch the attention of future employers.<\/p>\n

But that rich college experience was never guaranteed for Hamilton, who grew up in Gillett, Wisconsin \u2014 population 1,300 \u2014 a town in Oconto County near Green Bay.<\/p>\n

Hamilton has dyslexia. As a child, his reading level was zero until he was in 7th grade. He was fortunate to have a mom who is a special education teacher to support and encourage him: by the time he was a freshman in high school, he could read at a middle school level and he eventually graduated high school in the top 15 percent of his class.<\/p>\n

Along the way he had another lucky break: his high school special education teacher was Brian Grill, a 2005 UW-Whitewater special education graduate who brought Thomas and some of his classmates to campus for a special tour for students with disabilities, called\u00a0Opening Horizons<\/a>, at UW-Whitewater.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing an alum, I was aware of the Horizons program,\u201d said Grill. \u201c I wanted to show my students that, if they wanted a four-year degree, it is possible \u2014 there are supports that can make it happen. We took two vans full of students to campus, and there were two or three of the students who said \u2018I can go here? I can do this?\u201d\u2019 Thomas was one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he considered college, Hamilton looked at other campuses, and was even recruited by some given his high school success as a track and field athlete specializing in the shot put.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I knew this was the place for me when I toured campus,\u201d said Hamilton.<\/p>\n

When the\u00a0Center for Students with Disabilities<\/a>\u00a0at UW-Whitewater reviewed his application, they recommended he be conditionally admitted, pending his successful participation in the\u00a0Summer Transition Program<\/a>, a program designed to both give students an early and thorough orientation to campus and to bolster their academic skills.<\/p>\n

Hamilton did the month-long program, living in Starin Hall with about 50 other incoming students in July before his freshman year. The students completed classes together, packing six credit\u2019s worth of learning into four intensive weeks.<\/p>\n

Soon after starting classes in the fall, he started working at the Center for Students with Disabilities, eventually holding various jobs including working at the desk and driving the service vans for students who need a lift.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Thomas
Thomas Hamilton in the office of the Center for Students with Disabilities, where he has been a student worker and an intern.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cTC is the salt of the earth,\u201d said Betsy Brandt, disability services coordinator at the CSD. \u201cHe\u2019s served in a number of positions in our office. Often when we hire students who also use our services, a lot of the times they want to stay in their comfort zones. I love that TC reached outside of his comfort zone, like becoming a Warhawk Ambassador and studying abroad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hamilton studied for a semester at the University of Limerick in Limerick, Ireland. And he\u2019s also been a peer mentor in the same pre-college program he participated in, helping students learn how to write papers and how to deal with roommate problems.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe follows through on every single thing he needs to do,\u201d said Graciela Colin-Dealca, a senior counselor at the CSD. \u201cHe\u2019s extremely responsible and proactive \u2014 always checking in with me to see how he\u2019s doing. I\u2019ve seen him take advantage of every opportunity that comes his way, from jobs to service opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a very caring person,\u201d she added. \u201cWhen we moved our CSD application online, Thomas learned how to use the program so he could navigate it, to be able to help students who run into problems using it. Because of his own experiences here, he wants to help others. He\u2019s going to go very far in life with that attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the ways Hamilton has put his desire to help others into practice is through\u00a0Employment Connections<\/a>, a program under the\u00a0Center for Inclusive Transition, Education and Employment<\/a>\u00a0at UW-Whitewater that serves as a provider for the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation of the State Department of Workforce Development. As part of Employment Connections, which collaborates with campus and community partners in assisting students with disabilities to prepare for their career goals, Hamilton coaches workers in the field, with the goal of helping them to achieve independence on the job.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Thomas
TC Hamilton, left, working as a job coach in fall 2020 at PetCo in Delafield with a worker, center. Hamilton observed the young man, who was living with the effects of a seizure disorder, during training sessions like the one in the photo where workers are trained in cricket care. Hamilton helped the worker achieve independence on the job, watching as the worker stocked inventory and consulted with management and offering feedback.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

In one such job helping a young man with a seizure disorder at a Petco in Delafield in fall 2020, Hamilton observed the worker stocking shelves and interacting with store management.<\/p>\n

“Having worked so many different jobs in the CSD, I believe Employment Connections has been one of my most educational. I have had the opportunity to work with a really diverse group of individuals. Some were just out of high school and others are older and looking for a new opportunity. Every day I get to learn new skills that I will be able to apply to my future employment.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Thomas
TJ Hamilton, left, listens to a worker he is coaching at PetCo in Delafield in fall 2020. Hamilton\u2019s goal was to help the worker achieve independence on the job.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

As his time at UW-Whitewater was nearing an end, Hamilton thought about providing more opportunities for students who use CSD such as himself. He spoke to the\u00a0UW-Whitewater Foundation, Inc.<\/a>\u00a0about how to set up a scholarship for students who use the services of CSD who are also interested in a career helping students with disabilities. They helped him set up a foundation account for the Warhawk Inspired Scholarship, and he became the first Warhawk ever to set up such a scholarship \u2014 to benefit students using the CSD \u2014 while still a student.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe scholarship can be used for tuition, or it can be used for things like CSD services, assistive devices, and tools,\u201d said Hamilton.<\/p>\n

The first scholarship was awarded in April to Jacquelyn Bays, a special education major from Poplar Grove, Illinois.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe staff here donated enough this year to start giving out an award for fall 2021. We donated in honor of Pam Albert, our beloved financial specialist of 13 years who we lost to a health condition this past fall,\u201d said Debbie Reuter, director of the CSD.<\/p>\n

Hamilton\u2019s dream is to go to graduate school for higher education counseling and eventually work in a CSD-like environment, advising and mentoring students such as himself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Thomas
Thomas Hamilton, in black, in a class discussing psychology in the news media led by Assistant Professor Olivia McLaughlin at Upham Hall on Oct. 7, 2020.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI want to help students further their education, to help them push the limits of what they think they can do and what they want to do,\u201d said Hamilton, who graduates in May 2021 with a Bachelor of Science.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to give each student a springboard,\u201d said Brandt of the CSD. \u201cIt\u2019s great to see TC\u2019s growth and development. His story isn\u2019t any different than that of other students, and at the same time, as a student with a disability, it is different. And he\u2019s going to go out into the world and be able to do some great things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing him, I knew he had the drive to succeed in college, but for him to go above and beyond and do all these things? He\u2019s surpassed my expectations,\u201d said Grill, his high school teacher. \u201cHoly cow, to see all this? To see how involved he\u2019s been?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI told him \u2018I\u2019m proud to have you as a Warhawk alum. You\u2019ve done so much for that university and been such a part of it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Those interested in contributing to the Warhawks Inspired Scholarship should visit the\u00a0Give Now<\/a>\u00a0page on the\u00a0UW-Whitewater Foundation, Inc.<\/a>\u00a0website and select \u201cWarhawk Inspired Scholarship\u201d on the drop-down menu. For questions or assistance with the online form, please contact the UW-Whitewater Foundation, Inc. at 262-472-1105 or send an email to\u00a0foundation@uww.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thomas \u201cTC\u201d Hamilton has had the kind of college experience that many students dream about. A senior\u00a0psychology\u00a0major at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, he\u2019s studied abroad, he\u2019s been a Warhawk Ambassador, he\u2019s received a college scholarship, he\u2019s held an on-campus job related to his major, and he\u2019s participated in the kinds of off-campus internships and employment […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":6280,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[84],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-6279","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-whitewater"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/6279","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6279"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=6279"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=6279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}