Niya Cephas

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Hello, everyone! My name is Niya [not N-E-YA but, N-EYE-YA] and I am a sophomore here at Upstate. My major is Special Education and I am extremely passionate about it. Most of the time when I tell people what I am going to school to study they give me this look like; "oh god bless your heart" or "good-luck with that.." or they even go as far to say "are you sure you want to work with slow people?".

I've encountered these sayings ever since I moved here from Salinas, California, my freshman year of high school. At first when people and  family members would say these things it really stuck with me and I almost started asking myself "do I really want to pursue this career?". But, taking a step and realizing that whenever I'm with my older brother, who has Down's Syndrome, or when I volunteer with children and adults that have special needs that I am truly at my happiest state. I have also found other students here at Upstate that are just as passionate as I am about majoring in Special Education. As you can tell I am very set on working with people, specifically children, that have special needs and I know that when I become a teacher that I will set my goals on making a difference in each and everyone of their lives.

Now I will be honest and say that reading isn't at the top of my list of 'fun' things to do. It takes me a good bit to find a book that I can actually be engrossed in. The last book I read was most likely The Hunger Games Trilogy and I absolutely loved them. You would think I would be in love with that kind of dystopian-type-of-society books but, no I couldn't keep my interest in the books; The host, Divergent, or The Maze Runner. It's sad because I really want to keep reading them but my focus and motivation just wasn't there. I do also enjoy reading mangas and manwhas which are Japanese and Korean comics. I can sit on my phone or in Barnes and Nobles and read those types of stories all day. So as you can tell my reading passion is all over the place but I do hope by the end of this semester that I become more open to reading different types of books and have a passion for reading more often.



Comments

  1. Caroline_BrownAugust 25, 2016 at 5:12 PM

    Yooooooo, half my home library is manga but no one would know because i keep them hidden behind my other books ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

    Your goals and dreams are so cool. Seriously, I'm obsessed with people who have their hearts set in things. Its amazing. You'll be exactly the kind of person the kids deserve. YOU GO YOU! ONWARD AND UPWARD. I work with special needs kids thought the MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association) and we're always, ALWAYS in need of volunteers when camp rolls around. I can get you the hook up if you're interested.

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  2. UnknownAugust 26, 2016 at 7:38 AM

    You're the third person this week that I've heard mention 'manga'. I guess I need to check that out. I've grown up a Batman freak so I've loved the emergence of graphic novels as an extension of the comic book. I get one at the beginning of each semester and treat myself to an enjoyable read after having so much required reading.
    And kudos to you for following YOUR dreams. It's not for others to understand what drives you once you know what it is. Always follow your passion. It will keep getting you out of bed once the paycheck gets old!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ms LopezAugust 28, 2016 at 6:42 PM

    I love it! You said something that I think is very important, that you realized you are happiest when working with people who have special needs. And you're right not to let what other people say about that stop you from pursuing it!

    I like that you mentioned manga. I got into reading manga in high school and I read some freshman year of college too. I do love graphic novels.

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