I think that I was born with a passion to learn and to experience as much about this world as I possibly could, so I dreamed of my days at university before I even knew how to spell the word. Life rarely stays true to your plans, however, and I developed a serious illness in high school that left me with a permanent disability and forced me to question my future career and education goals. Before I enrolled in my first class at UPEI eight years ago, I had lost a great deal of confidence in my ability to be successful in academia and I was afraid of discovering that my dream of graduating with a degree was no longer possible. I am happy to say that these fears turned out to be unfounded, thanks to the incredible support, care and understanding that I have received from the staff at UPEI and the university's commitment to accommodating students with disabilities. Education is not something that should ever be taken for granted, and words cannot express the gratitude that I feel.