Luke Christie is an 18-year-old freshman at Furman University in Greenville, S.C., where he is majoring in communications. Luke is a graduate and valedictorian of Dixie High School in Due West, S.C. Luke was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy when he was 14 months old, and has used a power wheelchair for mobility since the age of 2. When Luke isn’t studying, he enjoys reading, creative writing, blogging, listening to music and participating in leadership service groups. Luke currently serves as MDA's National Youth Chairman and is regularly featured on MDA's SHOW of STRENGTH. Learn more about Luke's transition from high school to college at his website, follow him on Twitter @lukedchristie, and add him as a friend on Facebook.
Luke Christie
Friday, July 20, 2012
Whenever people ask me about my first year of college, I tick through the list of “typical” collegiate things that most people inquire about. I rattle off the classes I took, mention some of the friends I’ve made, talk about living on campus, say that I joined a fraternity, tell what I’ve decided to major in, talk about … Wait. WHAT? You did WHAT? Yep. That’s pretty much the reaction I receive every time I inform someone that I’m a frat brother. As soon as I drop the “F” word, nothing else on my list seems to be of as much interest to the person I’m talking to. To some extent, every guy who...
Friday, February 24, 2012
After seeing most of the campus, visiting a class, and weathering the rain without too much difficulty, I was feeling pretty good about what was, at the time, my first choice college. Then I saw the humanities academic building—a beautiful, historic structure that positively frightened me. Why? Because I had to ride a platform lift (which nobody seemed to know how to operate) and a key-operated elevator that was the size of a dumbwaiter (my footrest hit the back wall and my headrest hit the door when turning around) just to get to the second floor. All I could think about was how much time I...
