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Julia: ‘I want to help those with multiple obstacles’

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MICHIGAN STATE: Recent graduate Julia Ruggirello hasn’t let her battle with cystic fibrosis keep her from enjoying college. With a degree in special education, she looks forward to teaching her own students how to overcome obstacles.

Cystic fibrosis, or CF, is a chronic and life-threatening disorder. It causes unusually thick mucous to build up in the body, particularly in the lungs, that results in frequent bronchial infections. According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the life expectancy for the 70,000 adults and children worldwide suffering from CF is 37.

“Nobody can tell me when my time is up,” says Ruggirello, her eyes sparkling. “The doctors can say what they want, but I’m gonna live to be 93.”

The oldest of three, Ruggirello is tenacious and energetic. You wouldn’t guess she’s fighting major health trouble—until she points at the scar on her chest where her medication port is located.

Treating CF is kind of like a part-time job for Ruggirello. On average, she spends 1.5 to 2 hours per day administering breathing treatments, and the condition hospitalizes her at least twice a year for an average of 7 to 10 days.

“Take your worst flu—aches, pains, ailments—that’s what CF feels like on a daily basis,” says her father, Tony Ruggirello. “For her to overcome that every single day, and put on the face she does, it’s a miracle.”

Early career choice

For Ruggirello, being an educator was always the first career choice.

“When she was in second grade she started talking about it,” her father says with a smile. “In fact, that year on her Christmas list, she asked for an overhead projector—which she got—and she would actually teach the stuffed animals in our basement.”

He adds that Julia has always been passionate about learning, and because of her experiences, she feels she’s prepared to teach those with special needs.

“I’d really like to teach in an alternative high school, working with kids that maybe have had some personal issues,” Ruggirello says. “I want to help those with multiple obstacles.”

Family support

Despite the physical struggles she has faced throughout her life, Ruggirello is very upbeat—and says her parents have constantly focused on gratitude.

“We would tell her, ‘There’s always people struggling more than we are,'” Mr. Ruggirello says. “Nobody can control the cards they’re dealt, but we can make the best out of it.”

Mr. Ruggirello knows this well. He lost both his hands in a work-related accident at 21 years old. His hope was to be an inspiration to Julia growing up, as she watched him overcoming challenges of his own.

“My family is amazing, especially with my brother and I both having CF,” she says. “Neither of my parents ever treated me like I was ‘sick’… I was still expected to do chores when I came home from the hospital, just like any other kid.”

Finding a way to pay

Through scholarships and grants from Michigan State endowments and those outside of the university, Ruggirello will graduate with virtually zero student loan debt.

“It’s been a blessing,” says Mr. Ruggirello. “She has aggressively worked on getting scholarships, and I’m grateful they’re available—it was such a help.”

Get involved

From having been invited by President Lou Anna K. Simon to serve as Student-at-Large on the President’s Advisory Committee on Disability Issues (PACDI) to serving in leadership positions with student groups like Kappa Delta Phi, Ruggirello has spent countless volunteer hours on campus and off.

In addition, she helped found Spartans Fighting Cystic Fibrosis, which has a goal of raising awareness and funds to help find a cure for CF.

Ruggirello is also a member of the Global Educators Cohort Program—which she refers to as a family—a cohort program with a goal to give future educators a global view, to make an impact in today’s classrooms.

Ruggirello says she’s decided to pursue a master’s degree, but is open to the possibility of where life may take her. But first? A half-marathon.

via Sarah Wardell/New Educator at Michigan State | Image by Michigan State

The post Julia: ‘I want to help those with multiple obstacles’ appeared first on my4.


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