Michelle Gelles of Johnstown, PA

Michelle Gelles of Johnstown, PA, is our featured participant this month and we are eager to share her story with you.

Growing up, Michelle had a normal life. She was surrounded by a loving and supporting family that never treated her any different and her Cerebral Palsy was not something that held her back from doing the things she wanted to do. Michelle was mainstreamed in school and it wasn’t until high school that she had started realizing how her disability made her different than others and the bullying began. To this day, Michelle is not bitter about the way she was treated, instead her perspective is that people just don’t know how to interact with people who are different, therefore, her and her friends tended to be the brunt of their mean comments and actions. Fortunately, Michelle had the support of her family and close friends to fall back on.

After high school, Michelle knew that she wanted to go to college. Even though Cerebral Palsy makes it difficult to do many day-to-day tasks, she decided to enroll in college at Edinboro University which meant living in a college dorm away from her family for the first time. This brought several trials and new experiences that made her realize she needed help that she was not able to get from the resources on campus. After some time, Michelle had decided that it would be best to move back home and attend a local college where she would be able to commute back and forth. Michelle graduated with her Bachelors in Secondary Education and a Minor in Communications holding a 4.0 GPA at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. Just a few years later, Michelle would commute to Indiana University of Pennsylvania everyday with another student to complete her Masters in Adult Communication.

Michelle works as an Instructional Designer to write and created coursework for online classes. She has held part-time and full-time jobs, working with local and online companies. Michelle has been able to experience the socialization aspect of the full-time workplace, where she was able to go out to eat with them for lunch or go out after work for drinks and karaoke. Because Michelle’s CP causes her to type and write at a slower pace which requires her to work and think twice as hard and it takes a toll on her body, she now works part-time from home for the Southern New Hampshire University creating coursework for online Business classes.

Every dream that Michelle has held and opportunity she has been given, she has taken it. Due to her determination, desire to learn, and supportive family, Michelle has been able to live a full life and achieve her life goals. When Michelle needed an accessible vehicle and an adaptive bathtub, she saved the money to purchase them. Like all the things that Michelle has, she has worked hard for them and she’s asked for help when she needed it. Michelle has taken her blessings and difficulties for what they were and learned how to adapt to them.

In sharing Michelle’s story with you, our hope is to inspire you to take each opportunity you are given and use it to the best of your ability. No matter your situation, you are able to achieve your dreams, don’t let them slip by.

“It can be scary [to try new things], but it is even worse to deny your opportunities than to take them.”
– Michelle Gelles