Grant
Hi, my name is Grant, I am a junior at Chaparral High School in Parker, Colorado and I am 17 Years old. I am considered “legally” blind since I have hardly any central vision, but I have normal peripheral vision. I have a rare disease called Stargardts; it’s a disease like Macular degeneration that old people get. Even though I have a pretty severe vision disability, I am still involved in a lot of physical activities. I don’t let my vision slow me down! I like to snowboard with my family, rock climb, ride my bike, swim, and I’m also on my school wrestling team. I love spending time hiking and camping with my dad, mom and younger sister in the Colorado Mountains. Besides the physical activities that I enjoy, I am also very dedicated to my school. I am in my school’s Leader’s Challenge group and I work hard to get good grades. My favorite classes this year are Calculus and Physics, but guitar is a pretty fun class too.
I wanted to be a member of the Global Explorers team because it sounded like an amazing experience. There are a lot of things that my sighted friends are doing that I’ll probably never get to do. But, exploring and hiking in Peru is something that I’ll be able to do that they’ll probably never do. It’s a once in a lifetime experience! I hope to learn more about the culture and people of Peru; maybe I’ll even get to practice a little of my Spanish, I’ve been taking it for 4 years. I also hope that this trip will be a time when I can learn more about myself, what I can do and accomplish as an independent person. I look forward to meeting new people and making new friends.
