When I first arrived at Peace, I came from Wake Tech through their transfer program. Coming from a larger community college, I felt like maybe I wouldn’t disappear at Peace. In one of my first experiences here, I met Gay Lytton, the disabilities support services coordinator, in the parking lot. She was so excited about my arrival. At orientation, she took me around as a sighted guide, helping me meet other students and faculty. Everyone was very accommodating and helpful, telling me all the great things about the school. I was like, ‘I think I’m going to fit in here.’
I’m pretty much comfortable doing many things, but I am still newly blind — I’ve only been blind since 2018. Going to bigger events and navigating around them was always something I was hesitant about. So the biggest moment when I stepped out of my comfort zone was Purpose at Peace. It was actually a requirement for the Peace Times media class because we were writing stories about it. Erin Guarine got me a tactile map and sent me a list of all the different tables and Gay walked around with me. It took me out of my comfort zone in terms of figuring out how to navigate and learning to ask for that tactile map.
I just love how the staff and faculty here are so accommodating and friendly, and how they genuinely care about their students. They care whether you succeed or fail, and they push you to be your best. With all of my professors, the very first time I had them, I would meet with them one on one to go over my accommodations — what I need, what they can do to help me in their class. And then the great thing about being in a small community is you have the same professors in your major. So from one semester to the next, you kind of don’t even need those meetings anymore. I walk into class and it’s already, ‘I got you covered. I know what you need — don’t worry, we got you.’ I love that. The size of this school is just a really good fit for me.
I have spent so much time with Gay Lytton. She inspires me to get connected. As we’re walking around the school, she introduces me to other students, which is meaningful because yes, I meet students in class and they know my name — but then there are students I never have classes with, and she’s that bridge to introducing us. I’m building onto the people I know here. And of course, she motivates me and makes me laugh.
She’s influenced me to want to get more involved in disability support and in working with students with different disabilities. Yes, I am a student with a disability, and it was my goal before I came to Peace — I wanted to help, but I wanted to focus more on business. Now I actually love helping students too, so I can merge the two.
I am being inducted into Sigma Beta Delta, an international honor society. That is a big accomplishment for me. After reading up and learning that it’s for business students, I realized this shows that all of my hard work paid off. I am a perfectionist. I’m not perfect, but I shoot for high grades and high scores in everything. I am so proud of the fact that I am being inducted.
When I first started at Peace, I came from a large school where I always felt like I was just there. Students in class never remembered me or knew me by name. So when I first started here, I was reserved. But here at Peace, when I’m walking to class and another student sees me miss my turn, they come up and start a conversation and ask, ‘Can I help you?’ I love it because that’s how I get to know them. I just love the whole community vibe here. Everyone knows everyone’s name — I could be walking out of the library and hear, ‘Hey, Chemae!’ It reminds me of that show Cheers.
Immersive learning at Peace stands out for me. I do not learn well with someone just standing at the front lecturing and expecting me to read and understand the material. I need real-life examples. I need to actually try and do things myself. I had taken marketing twice and failed it — both times at Wake Tech. Then I came to Peace and took marketing with Professor Wang, and I passed with a B. It was the way she teaches: as we learned a section, we did it. It wasn’t, “Let me teach you the whole concept and then test you on it.” It was, “I’m going to teach you this concept, you’re going to do this part of the concept, then I’m going to test you on it.” By the end of the semester, we had built a whole marketing plan and presented it as our final. I felt like I actually learned something in that class. I appreciate this school for that approach — letting you get your hands in and try it.
After graduation I plan to go to grad school, and I’m looking at Western Michigan University. I’m actually switching disciplines, but my end goal is to have my own business dealing with disability support — being an accessibility consultant. Western Michigan has a vision rehabilitation therapy program, so I can get into the field of working closely with blind people.
Favorite Peace Memory: Last Day of Classes (LDOC) It always makes me smile because of how well thought out it is. I love how it starts with breakfast, then lunch, then the festival in the afternoon going into the evening, and then they have Breakfast for Dinner. Last year I went and got my face painted, and I went to the butterfly exhibit. Just going through the different activities and celebrating that we’ve made it through to the last day of classes — all you have to do is take the exams. It’s that whole coming together as a community to share the experience of ‘we made it.’ It always puts a smile on my face. And this year it’s the last one for me.
Chemae is a business administration major being inducted into Sigma Beta Delta National Honors Society. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in Vision Rehabilitation Therapy at Western Michigan University and launch her own accessibility consulting business.
