 Dewitt Scholar Profile, Dustin. Pictures of a man walking on a campus, standing in a crowded hallway wearing a suit and tie, standing in a lab, performing on a stage, and playing piccolo in a band. I'm Cheryl Burgstahler and I direct the Dewitt Center, Disabilities, Opportunities, Internet Working and Technology. And in that center we have numerous programs funded by different agencies. And the sole purpose is to increase the success of people with disabilities, particularly in college, onto careers, but everything else. And Dewitt Scholars Program, we kind of become like an extended family. One of our Dewitt Scholars, Dustin, started the program in 2013. My name is Dustin and I'm a student here at the University of Washington School of Law, pursuing a Juris Doctor degree, hoping to graduate in June 2024. Text, Dustin, 2013. From the classes what I've learned is learning how to, well, one of the big things is to be a self-advocate. You got to advocate for yourself. I joined Dewitt when I was a junior in high school, so that was around springtime 2013. I went back to Dewitt the following summer. It became someone of a summer tradition for me at least, because I went back to summer study, helped out as a member of the staff for, I think summer 2018, which was right around the time I graduated undergraduate here at the University of Washington. One thing that has me coming back to Dewitt all these years is just knowing that it's kind of where my roots are, especially as a person with a disability, Asperger's Syndrome, or Autism Spectrum Disorder, as it's now known. But also just knowing that with Dewitt, it's also where I first learned about disability rights and history. In undergrad, I took up disability studies as my minor, along with Law Society of Justice and Political Science as my majors. But with disability studies, I was able to get more and more involved with knowing about those types of, that type of history, and so it actually influenced what, the type of law that I want to practice today, which is disability rights. Several activities that I've done over the years of me being undergrad at least. First and foremost, the Husky marching band. I was actually in the marching band as a member of the Piccolo section all four years. I worked at the Computer and Transfer Commons in the hub during my junior and senior years, being there for anyone who has any questions or inquiries. It's a huge honor to be selected for the Husky 100. I looked at my phone, I saw an email, and it says, congratulations, you just got selected for the Husky 100, and I was just like, I was like, I was like this. I was like, I can't even believe it. I can't even believe I got nominated for, got selected for the Husky 100. This past summer I interned at Washington Civil Disability Advocate. The first year law school students, they have a class called Legal Analysis, Research and Writing, or LARW for short. And so I was able to take what I've learned from that class during my first, my first year here at law school and to apply it towards drafting motions, basically asking the court to do something in favor of your clients. The Duet community has been incredibly supportive of, has been incredibly supportive of me. They've been there whenever I needed help with getting accommodations and undergrad. They've been there for me whenever I needed help with personal statements. And even if I just needed to talk to someone, so I want to give back. And being able to be a disability rights attorney and hopefully causing societal change for the good would allow me to give back to the disability community. One of my first friends that I met at Duet is someone who has a vision-related disability. And so over time I've gotten the chance to get to know her and have conversations with her. Having that type of connection does kind of, does kind of like bring, I guess, really increase my motivation to become more, I guess, aware and to educate myself around those things. And that also, that has also been impactful. I just wanted to express a moment of gratitude for all of my mentors, my friends, family members, and my parents for helping me get to where I'm at right now. Thank you for all that you've done for me. Duet, you are an inspiration. You are an inspiration. And I'm very fortunate to be a part of that group. And I hope I'm making you all proud. I really do. For more resources about supporting students with disabilities, consult uw.edu slash d-o-i-t. Copyright 2023, University of Washington. Permission is granted to copy this material for non-commercial purposes, provided the source is acknowledged.