Annie Henseler
Michigan State University
Annie Henseler is seeking a B.A. in Elementary Education. She is a member of the Michigan State Tower Guard Honors and Service Society, representing the top 0.8% of her class. The mission of the Tower Guard is to serve students who utilize accommodations offered by MSU’s campus Resource Center for People with Disabilities (RCPD). Her commitment to the Tower Guard requires no less than 160 service hours. In this role, Annie has learned how to translate inaccessible educational textbooks and documents in to screen reader accessible e-text documents. She has served as a tutor, a scribe for exams, and created adaptive sports opportunities. She currently serves on the Executive Board of this organization. Annie is committed to serving as an advocate for the 19% of the undergraduate students in the United States who have a disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). She wishes to affect the graduation rate of this group of students.
Personal Statement
I have always believed that the most concrete way to make the world a better place was through education. My passion for equity and accessibility stems from my foundational belief in the fundamental right we all have to a high-quality education in which each student's needs are surpassed and supported in a way which exceeds both the educator's and student's expectations. Through personal research focused on an educator's support of students with ASD and other developmental disorders, educating and supporting families and educational teams, work with my campus' Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities and peers, and creating a personal website sharing accessible and equitable literature that I have sparked a lifelong passion for discovering how to make education equitable, accessible, attainable, and engaging for all students. It is through assuring that each person is able to access the knowledge they desire that we are able to equip our communities with the tools to handle the root of many of today's social issues and inequities. It is through equitable education that we make the world and those within it a little bit better with each sequential generation.
