I am not sure where to begin about how much the Aggie ACHIEVE program has impacted our family.
Our daughter, Callie, had always dreamed of going to college. Honestly, I don’t think anyone in the high school ARD meetings believed it would ever happen, except for her! Aggie ACHIEVE was the answer to our prayers. She was so excited to apply. It didn’t hurt that her father and brother are both Aggies!
Callie has grown so much these past four years. From navigating a public bus system to attending a college football game by herself, she has accomplished things we never thought possible. ACHIEVE is set up for the students to receive independent living skills, social skills, and job skills all while attending and being a part of a university and having a true college experience. Callie attended classes, navigated the campus, learned to budget her time and manage her calendar. She learned skills that she would have never learned while still living at home. Like every person out there, you truly don’t know what it is like until you are given the opportunity to try it on your own. ACHIEVE allows for that growth, but at the same time, provides support. Callie is very capable of a lot of things; however, it often takes her longer to learn and master a skill and sometimes it takes a different way for her to accomplish the goal. She also moves at a much slower pace than the average person. This program worked with her, learned her strengths and weaknesses and figured out the best way for her to achieve her goals.

Callie has gained lifelong true peer friends. While she has always had “friends”, these are the ones that will call her, hang out with her, or just pop by, because that is what friends do. These are friends who checked on her when she was sick, called her over the holidays and were just as excited to see her as she was to see them. She is sad that most of them are leaving the area, but they have all made promises to stay in touch and I believe they will.
We can put a price on the cost of the program with room & board, books, tuition, sports pass, and the program fee, however the return on that investment cannot be measured. Callie now has the confidence to stay in College Station and continue living with her college roommate. The town has become her “happy place” and she can’t wait to start the next phase of her life. Having her live on her own was something we honestly never thought would happen, but this program has given her the skills and tools to live an independent life, be a productive member of society, and have true meaningful friendships.