When UNT ELEVAR graduate candidate Jaylen Walker goes across the stage on graduation day, he will have fulfilled a dream he didn’t know was possible. “I didn’t think I’d ever go to college because I have a learning disability,” Walker explained. UNT ELEVAR is a 4-year higher educati on program for students with learning disabilities. College can be challenging under the best of circumstances, but Walker’s senior year was particularly difficult. “It’s been a challenge,” Walker said, hooked up to a feeding tube. “For me, 3 years it’s been a good year, and for my last year I didn’t get to do nothing but be in a hospital.” Walker spent 7 months of his senior year in the hospital for a gastrointestinal disorder that led to needing a feeding tube and a wheelchair. Still, he took his ELEVAR courses online so he could graduate next week. “I think that’s important for people to learn, is life might knock you down, but you gotta get up and keep going and remember why you’re here,” UNT ELEVAR Associate Director Dominique Vera said. “I think that’s a really good message that Jaylen is sharing.” “He might not walk across that stage, but he’s gonna make it across that stage,” Walker’s mother, Traci Walker, said. On Monday, May 11th, graduation day, Traci Walker plans to launch a social media campaign called ‘Sip With Jay’. “I want to bring awareness to the fact that people with gastrointestinal disorders are not really being supported,” Traci Walker said. “I’m so thankful to ELEVAR, because they helped us get him where he needs to be. This past year has been hard. Really, really hard.” “This is my hero,” Jaylen said to his mother. “You are a fighter, you are a soldier. I’ve never seen nobody fight as hard as you!” Jaylen Walker will graduate with a certificate in sports management. He was a manager for the UNT basketball team and hopes to get back out on the court soon. You can learn more about Jaylen and the Sip With Jay campaign here. ...read more read less