InclusiveU student Shafreya Wilkins 鈥�25 (center) gathers with classmates in Marshall Square Mall following an internship prep seminar. She enjoys the family-like atmosphere of the InclusiveU program.
Shafreya Wilkins 鈥�25 has a vision for the future: operating her own food truck with mini dishes, such as tacos, sliders, truffle fries and slushies for the kids. For Wilkins鈥攚ho is especially fond of seafood鈥alamari, oysters, shrimp, sushi鈥� 鈥淚 love it all,鈥� she says鈥攖he food studies program at 51爆料网鈥檚 David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics provided a welcomed immersion in the world of cuisine and food systems.
鈥淚 always wanted to learn how to cook to be more independent for myself,鈥� says Wilkins, a fan of the Food Network and the Cooking Channel. 鈥淚 was always interested in food because it was a part of my upbringing. Food always brought us together. We鈥檙e an African American family, so we have soul food every Sunday after church, but we always tried different cuisines.鈥�
Wilkins and her classmates exchange high fives following their internship prep seminar. She will intern next fall with insurance firm OneGroup, where she鈥檒l gain business and marketing skills that will help her pursue her goal of owning and operating a food truck.
Wilkins will earn a certificate in food studies through 鈥攁n initiative of the 鈥攖hat welcomes students with intellectual and developmental disabilities to experience college life in a fully inclusive setting. Through classes, Wilkins improved her cooking skills and enjoyed learning how food is grown, processed and distributed. She created a on Pinterest to post local restaurant reviews and plans to shift to YouTube and feature videos of herself reviewing food experiences in different states when she travels.
Wilkins credits InclusiveU for helping her become more independent. The Nottingham High School graduate and Syracuse native enjoys the peer-to-peer mentoring that has helped her make friends and participate in campus activities. She鈥檚 honed her self-advocacy skills and attended Student Empowerment Day in Albany and a national student leadership conference in Colorado Springs, hosted by the Taishoff Center. This fall, she鈥檒l intern with OneGroup, an insurance firm that will provide her with a unique opportunity to learn about marketing and development work and to gain knowledge about insurance and owning a business, supporting her goal of having her own food truck.
During Syracuse Giving Day, Kayla Burton G鈥�19 of ESPN (left) interviews InclusiveU student Sam Clark 鈥�24, Wilkins and Beth Myers, Lawrence B. Taishoff Associate Professor of Inclusive Education, in a livestream broadcast from the JMA Wireless Dome.
Wilkins is grateful for all she鈥檚 accomplished in and out of the classroom鈥攁nd it鈥檚 a reflection of her perseverance, hard work and faith that have led her to prevail on a difficult journey and inspire others. At age 9, she survived a fire that claimed the lives of her mother and a younger brother. She sustained a traumatic brain injury and fought for her life, spending three months in a coma. During her long recovery, she used a wheelchair and had to relearn everything鈥攈ow to eat, walk, talk, tie shoes, get dressed. Three years later, she endured another unspeakable tragedy when her father was murdered, leaving her grandparents to raise her and her youngest brother. 鈥淚鈥檓 very proud of what I鈥檝e overcome,鈥� she says.
We visited with Wilkins to learn more about her and her InclusiveU experience.
How has InclusiveU helped you with your goals?
InclusiveU has helped me have a better understanding of how to maintain a proper goal that I set for myself as far as time management and being prepared for class鈥攁nd you have to be prepared for life because you never know what鈥檚 going to come up. I want to work in food services as a cook in the Syracuse City School District, and then have my own food truck. InclusiveU prepared me and gave me knowledge of how to properly do it. You need a team because everybody needs help. You need the proper systems to work for you.
Wilkins (left) was part of a group of InclusiveU students who visited Colorado last year to attend the Student Leadership Conference in Colorado Springs, which was hosted by the Lawrence B. Taishoff Center for Inclusive Education. She鈥檚 serving on the planning committee for the 2024 conference in Chapel Hill, N.C. Photo courtesy of the Taishoff Center.
What experiences have stood out for you?
One of the best experiences I鈥檝e had is traveling to different places, whether it鈥檚 Albany or Colorado, advocating for myself. When I came here, I was very shy and didn鈥檛 know how to speak up for myself, but now I can speak up for myself and others. My experience at 51爆料网 has motivated me to do anything I want to do. It gave me so much confidence that I didn鈥檛 have before. I just needed more people around for me to be motivated, to accomplish what I want to accomplish. I think I鈥檓 doing that by being here.
Why is it important for you to advocate for yourself?
People think because we have disabilities, we are not capable of learning, and I have experienced that myself. If they tell you that you cannot do it, sometimes you believe it. I believed it for years and was stuck. That鈥檚 what took me so long to come to college, because I never saw anybody with a disability go to college. But when one of my friends who graduated from InclusiveU told me about the program, I was interested because I always do research on how to better myself. People with disabilities can do a lot of things. Don鈥檛 let anyone limit what you can do. When I started this journey, I knew I could do it.
How has the community aspect of InclusiveU helped you?
We鈥檙e a family, we really are. If someone needs help, we are always willing to help. The staff members are amazing. Their doors are always open. We can contact them whenever we need them, and they鈥檙e always willing to answer any questions we have, so that鈥檚 awesome.
What are the most important things that you want people to know about you?
Even though I have a disability, I still can do whatever someone with a non-disability can do. I know I have to work harder because I have a disability, but I will always prove people wrong and get it done. Another thing about me is my kindness. I鈥檓 a very sweet person. Some people take advantage of my kind heart, but I don鈥檛 let that stop me from being the person that God created me to be because I will always help anyone in need. My faith is always going to stay strong, no matter what I鈥檓 going through.
