Aggies Elevated: continuing to grow

The transition from one Aggies Elevated class to two has come with a learning curve, but with the help of returning students and volunteers, the organization is making it work. 

Because Aggies Elevated participants have varied levels of intellectual disabilities, the growth in the number of students has created the need for more administrative organization. Second year students have helped to ease the transition for first year students by offering them advice and by giving the first year students another resource to rely on.

“We have told the first year students about our experiences and what kind of homework we had to get done just to give them a little heads up.” said second year student Jenna Mosher. “Sarah Bodily says that the first year students look up to us so we need to be role models for them”

Aggies Elevated has 30 volunteers working with students on a daily basis. 

“Without our volunteers and second year students, we couldn’t do it,” said Sarah Bodily, the Aggies Elevated program director. “We have volunteers helping students with both academics and independent living skills which makes the students’ transition from living with their families to living on their own much easier, and second year students providing support along the way.” 

Aggies Elevated is a two year certificate program offered by Utah State University that helps students with intellectual disabilities transition from high school to college to the working world. It provides classes focusing on independent living skills, career exploration, personal care techniques and study habits and gives students the skills that they need to live on their own and thrive in college and beyond. 

The first year program focuses on helping the students adjust to a new setting and to develop good study habits and living skills. In the second year program, students continue with the development of their independent living skills and study habits with the added opportunity to explore employment prospects through interest-based internships that are arranged by the Aggies Elevated program. The internships give students a chance to learn what they like and what skills they possess. Aggies Elevated also provides some classes to its students as well as enrolling them in some credit-earning classes on campus. 

Because Aggies Elevated is funded by private donors, its hopes for future expansion rely on increased funding. USU has provided assistance with a $10,000 grant for Aggies Elevated, but it is not enough to help the program continue to grow. Last year Aggies Elevated made a funding request to the Utah Legislature but that request was denied when the Legislature decided to fund other disability-related organizations throughout Utah.

In a further attempt to raise awareness for Aggies Elevated and to assist in its fundraising efforts, New York filmmaker Ben Stamper came to campus and produced a 10 minute documentary highlighting the lives and experiences of the seven original Aggies Elevated students. 

Aggies Elevated is one of only 217 postsecondary education programs for students with intellectual disabilities in the United States. 

More information about Aggies Elevated, including how students may apply, is available at http://www.aggieselevated.com/.