Graduating senior navigates her way through life

Graduating senior ShaQuantaey “Taey” Mack is not one to sugarcoat anything.

“When it comes to my situation and people with ones similar to mine, you have to realize quickly that our society is not equipped to the best of its ability to help ‘us’ succeed,” she said.

The soon-to-be graduate speaks of her visual impairment she has faced since she was 14.

Fortunately, Georgia College has served as Mack’s gateway to functionTaey Mack graduates Saturday with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and criminal justice. within and beyond school life.

“Who knew I would graduate from a well-known liberal arts college?” said Mack who has earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and criminal justice.

The disease that took her sight, bilateral endogenous endophthalmitis, is a degenerative condition that destroys eye tissue. However, the loss of her eyesight has not limited her education.

Georgia College had been Mack’s pick all along. She visited the university more than once as a child with the National Youth Sports Program.

“I always wanted to play Bobcat softball,” said Mack, a Sandersville native. “Once I lost my sight, there was a lot of adjusting I had to do, but my plans to at least attend college remained the same.”

Mack has gained her independence at the university and navigates the campus using nothing more than a cane and occasional help from classmates.

She credits Mike Chambers, assistant director for Institutional Equity and Diversity for Disability Services, for            accommodating her special needs throughout her four years at Georgia College.

“Mr. Chambers is No. 1 in my book because during the last four years, he has provided me with whatever class-related accommodations I have needed, from my Braille textbooks to the software that allows my PAC Mate laptop to print in Braille and read to me aloud,” she said.

Mack has prospered academically through her ability to advocate her personal needs, Chambers said.

“Many students, faculty and staff are motivated by her ‘can-do’ attitude and positive approach toward anything in which she is involved,” Chambers said.

Dr. Charles Ubah, associate professor for Government and Sociology, was quite inspired.

In fact, Mack actually took a leap of faith by accepting her professor’s offer to travel with her classmates to Nigeria in 2009 for a study abroad program.

“To be candid, I was concerned about her going,” Ubah said. “I guess she trusted me and had confidence in me.”

The summer trip included some     classroom lectures at Imo State University in Owerri, Nigeria, but mostly city excursions that challenged students’ intellectual and cultural curiosity about Africa’s past, present and future.

“I really wanted to go,” Mack said, “but I was also scared because of my impairment; I didn’t know how I would be accepted in this culture. The locals turned out to be nice, and even though I couldn’t see my surroundings, the             accents, smells and sounds were amazing.”

The study-aboard trip was one of Mack’s many Georgia College highlights.

However, she says her fondest campus memory occurred during October’s Disability Awareness Week when students learned what it is like not to be able to see. 

“The students played baseball blind-folded and cards with Braille UNO cards,” she said. “In a sense, it gave students the opportunity to experience my world. People fear the unknown, and that’s what I am—an unknown to a lot of people. Therefore, being able to connect with my colleagues and hear them laugh at how silly each thought they looked made me feel like I accomplished something.”

And she has.

“Taey is serious about her education and an incredible writer,” said Ubah. “I sometimes call her my presidential          student.”

After graduation, Mack will attend classes for nine months at BLIND Inc. in Minneapolis, Minn., to become more     independent and employable.

“I want to learn more advanced skills so I am able to travel and live alone,” she said.

She also plans to earn a graduate degree.

“When it’s all said and done, I want to obtain my master’s in social work and one day start my own second-chance counseling center—whether for the visually impaired, pregnant teenagers or battered women,” she said. “After I lost my vision, it was like a second chance at life, and I just ran with it.”