Armstrong Grad Overcomes Rare Eye Disorder, Inspires Others
Commencement can bring fun, if fleeting memories to graduates like Maddy Major.
She was one of many Armstrong students to graduate on Monday.
“It was exciting. I was very happy that I actually made it,” she said. “Things weren’t always easy throughout high school.”
Her diploma brought with it a feeling of vindication.
“In a sense, having all these experiences where people are doubting me has kind of led me in a sense to want to prove them wrong,” she said.
Major has Stargardt disease and is blind.
“Having to do everything while also navigating having a visual impairment was definitely hard,” she said. “I was in third grade I believe when I got diagnosed with it. And basically, it just means that my central vision is pretty blurry.”
Maddy Major graduated from Armstrong High School this week.
Her need for accommodations in class or elsewhere in life never held her back.
“I often have to deal with people who have a certain idea of what someone who’s blind or low in vision can do,” she said. “And I often have to explain to them that, no, that’s actually incorrect.”
She was co-president of the Armstrong Environmental Club, where she found a passion and connection between environmental justice and disability rights.
Her leadership helped to bring her a $10,000 grant from Lighthouse Guild, which helps students who are legally blind make the transition to higher education.
“It’s been really empowering and it’s going to be really helpful as I go through college and future endeavors,” Major said.
As an aspiring lawyer attending the University of Minnesota this fall, the financial boost will help her learn to advocate for others and improve the world.
“[I] really just want to help them know that, yes you may be different, but you don’t have to let that stop you or let other people’s perception of you stop you from doing what you want,” she said.
Armstrong High School
