{"id":22178,"date":"2018-05-20T10:36:38","date_gmt":"2018-05-20T14:36:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=22178"},"modified":"2018-06-25T09:54:08","modified_gmt":"2018-06-25T13:54:08","slug":"down-syndrome-doesnt-keep-parker-davis-from-pursuing-her-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/down-syndrome-doesnt-keep-parker-davis-from-pursuing-her-dream\/","title":{"rendered":"Down syndrome doesn’t keep Parker Davis from pursuing her dream of college"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Parker Davis has been taking a combination of credit and non-credit courses at UTC.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Parker Davis fiddles with her hair, tucking it behind her ears to get it out of the way. It doesn\u2019t stay.<\/p>\n

She smooths her T-shirt, making sure it hangs comfortably. A finger poke to the bridge of her glasses and they\u2019re sitting just right.<\/p>\n

Everything in place to her satisfaction, she steps up to the computer and starts tapping keys, firing up her PowerPoint presentation.<\/p>\n

Standing in the UTC Library\u2019s first-floor theater, Parker deftly runs through slides about Smoke Signals,<\/em> a 1998 comedy she\u2019s dissecting for her American Independent Cinema class. The movie has a Native American writer, director and actors and \u201cexplores the nature of Native American stereotypes in popular cinema by both seriously challenging them and humorously poking fun at them,\u201d she says, repeating a line that appears in her PowerPoint.<\/p>\n

In the film, Native American \u201cfry bread\u201d is described in manna-from-heaven terms, she notes, then turns to the other students and points to the words on her T-shirt: \u201cI was told there would be frybread.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother found this shirt,\u201d she says, her face decorated by an enormous smile as the others laugh.<\/p>\n

Confidence is not something the 22-year-old Parker lacks. She\u2019s the only student at UTC with Down syndrome, but its limitations are simply things for her to overcome, not hold her back. Although she usually has someone with her while she\u2019s on campus, she\u2019s unafraid to go it alone. Friends, family and teachers say she loves to learn, studies religiously, turns her assignments in on time and has an active on-campus social life.<\/p>\n

Earbuds in, smartphone in hand, she walks across campus like any other student, and her outgoing personality \u2014 one friend calls her \u201csassy\u201d \u2014 has made her a favorite with those who have met her.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, she\u2019s always the highlight of my week, no matter when she comes in. I\u2019m just always so glad to see her,\u201d says Deardra McGee, academic exploration advisor in the UTC Center for Advisement.<\/p>\n

Karen Henderson, instructor in the American Independent Cinema class, calls Parker \u201camazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a joy to teach her. I wish all my students were as diligent as she is.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Never in doubt <\/strong><\/h3>\n

In Parker\u2019s mind, there was virtually no question that, after graduating from Signal Mountain High School in 2015, college was in her future. So she approached her parents, Lee and Heather.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told my Dad and Mom that, one, I want to go to college, and two, I want to go to college in Chattanooga, downtown in Chattanooga,\u201d she explains. \u201cI really wanted to go, but I talked to them first and they agreed with me that I can do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

And she has proven that she can, says her father, local attorney Lee Davis.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to make sure this was not about us,\u201d he adds. \u201cParker could take classes and be able to complete them like other students \u2014 certainly with modifications because of her ability \u2014 but it\u2019s got to be her best work and it\u2019s got to be about her interests.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is Parker\u2019s journey; it\u2019s not ours.\u201d<\/p>\n

To start the journey, he headed to UTC with her school records from Signal Mountain plus letters of recommendation from her teachers, making sure she was eligible for enrollment. She was. From there, they worked with school administrators and advisors to get her ready, he says, singing the praises of UTC staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve not had anyone who has been less than wonderfully supportive,\u201d he says. \u201cIt really has been amazing. We were blown away.\u201d<\/p>\n

McGee has equally effusive praise for Parker.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer personality just bowled me over the first time I met her,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Each semester, McGee helps Parker pick her classes, but says Parker \u201cleads the meeting,\u201d taking charge of her future.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think, \u2018Why can\u2019t everyone be like that?\u2019\u201d McGee adds.<\/p>\n

Taylor Downey was a freshman when she met Parker in a Theatre 101 class. They struck up a friendship and now Downey is a friend, tutor and near-constant companion for Parker on campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is so fun-loving. She loves everything that she does; she loves the people she\u2019s around; she cares about what\u2019s going on in people\u2019s lives,\u201d Downey says. \u201cShe\u2019s the first one to ask me how I\u2019m doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not all sweetness and light, though, because Parker has a touch of the smart-aleck.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s sassy,\u201d Downey says. \u201cShe\u2019s got a little attitude that\u2019s very fun. She always makes me laugh.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond friendship, Parker has had an even deeper effect on Downey, a junior who says her ultimate goal is to be an occupational therapist working with special-needs kids.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that\u2019s all because of Parker.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

In the afternoon, Parker Davis goes to the law offices of her father, Lee Davis, to study.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/h3>\n

Baby steps<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As part of the learning process before Parker started school, the Davises took a special education training program to help them get organized. They also lined up other students to accompany Parker to class and help her acclimate to college.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike all great plans, it worked for two days and, on day three, one of the aides called in sick,\u201d her father says. \u201cAnd I asked, \u2018Parker do you remember how to get to your classes? Do you think you can do it on your own?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Sure, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I said, \u2018We\u2019ll see how this is going to work.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

While he admits he took \u201ca big swallow\u201d when she headed out, \u201cit worked fine and, since then, she has navigated campus.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, it\u2019s not like they open the door and let Parker just waltz out, he stresses. She has the Strava app on her smartphone, which allows them to know where she is through satellite GPS. The front entrance of the University Center is always the spot where she waits if anyone is looking for her or is scheduled to pick her up.<\/p>\n

On Thursday nights, she meets with friends in the Christian campus group Cru and hangs out for the evening.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat has become the hub of Parker\u2019s week,\u201d her father says. \u201cShe loves it and the only downside is that it requires her dad to drive back to campus at 9:45 at night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quite a haul from their home in Walden on Signal Mountain.<\/p>\n

In her six semesters at UTC, Parker has taken a combination of credit and noncredit courses.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fun to learn about stuff,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n

So far, that stuff has included credit courses such as Cultural Geography, Spanish, American Cinema, Theatre and Legal Assistant Studies along with non-credit classes, most of which focus on physical activity because low muscle tone is a common ailment for those with Down syndrome.<\/p>\n

She works mornings and afternoons in her father\u2019s law office on Fortwood Street, a stately brick home sitting just a block off-campus. Before school, she files, answers phones and does other clerk duties; after classes she comes back to study.<\/p>\n

In the downstairs room where the office\u2019s administrative staff works, she has a blue beanbag chair in a corner where, with notebooks, textbooks and pens on the floor around her, she does her daily studying and coursework. Upstairs on the third floor is Parker\u2019s Perch, a room where she can go for some quiet study or to rest.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Future plans<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"\"

Lack of muscle tone is a problem for those with Down syndrome, so Parker usually takes one physical activity course each semester.<\/p><\/div>\n

Parker says she has a tentative goal of earning a diploma at UTC but admits \u201cI\u2019m still on the road to that thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Downey describes Parker as \u201chardworking and intrinsically motivated, knows what she wants\u201d and is determined to get there, wherever it leads.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that Parker is going to continue be educated, to go where she wants to go, whether she\u2019s degree-seeking or just continuing to take classes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the decision on whether to continue at college is Parker\u2019s, her father says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have a specific goal. I couldn\u2019t tell you whether Parker is capable of eventually earning a degree or not,\u201d he says. \u201cShe\u2019s done extremely well in those classes, but as far as when they become more complex and difficult, I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cRather than put an artificial goal on it like a diploma, our idea is that we\u2019re going to support it as long as it\u2019s something that Parker wants to do and she can do with appropriate support. But it\u2019s her work.\u201d<\/p>\n

While a student at Signal Mountain High, Parker had a certain picture in her mind of what college would be like. Kind of similar to high school, she figured.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I like going to college better,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just the classes or the friendships; it\u2019s the challenges, the sense of accomplishment and pride that goes along, she says. Besides, the between-class bells drove her nuts in high school.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had these alarms that would go so crazy because they\u2019d go off all the time. So loud,\u201d she recalls. \u201cBut here they don\u2019t have alarms; you just keep an eye on the clock.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Parker Davis has been enrolled at UTC for six semesters and is thriving, overcoming the limitations of Down syndrome.<\/p>\n

Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1105,"featured_media":22184,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_slider":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_featurette":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[64,661],"tags":[72923,72922,72921],"class_list":{"0":"post-22178","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"category-students","9":"tag-down-syndrome","10":"tag-lee-davis","11":"tag-parker-davis","12":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nDown syndrome doesn't keep Parker Davis from pursuing her dream of college | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - 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