About Flagpole. (Athens, Ga.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (July 27, 2011)
i - henanigans ^ ilon 706-548-1115 T 1037 Baxter Street, Suite A Open Monday through Saturday THE SPIRITED SPELLING .SPECTACULAR! A FUNDRAISER FOR THE ATHENS-CLARKE LITERACY COUNCIL SATURDAY, AUGUST 21 3-5pm Rialto Club at Hotel Indigo JP Alfonso \!foG®<3/Miasms 9 ssmaiuB O!aOT©0 6OTIDO08 BODY PIERCING Provided by Virtue & Vice. Inc. Athens’ Own Randy Smyre & Bethra Szumski Association Professional Piercers Board Member (706) 108-9588 285 W. Washington St. • Athens, GA 30601 □BQ0Q0o0ci0a0c]0a0 □ * f\ ,.A ° 0 □ 0 □ 0 □ 0 Come join “The Boomers” Community @ boomersinathens.org a website created by Boomers, for Boomers Join us online at !:□□ p.m. on Wednesday, August 3 for a free webcast with Bail Langer Karwoski Gail, a local children's author, will share the "backslaoe' journey from idea to published picture hook. V Watch this webcast from home on your computer, or coma to the Athens- Clarke County Library. 2025 Baiter Stmt, to see K in person. / For information, email athcnsareaboomers < gmaii.com. go online to boomersinathensjjrg. or cell (706) 613-3650. ext 343. Ika (reject a mtdt ecnAte b» • grwil Iran da U, S Imtitute tl ttarvm and librtrj Strncn 0 □ 0 □ 0 □ 0 □ 0 □ 0 □ 0 □ 0 □ □ 0 □ 0 □ 0 fn □ □ □ □ B □ □ □ E] □ E] □ El □ [£!□ RYAN RODRIGUEZ. VOLUNTEER WORKER □ Like many 23-year-olds, Ryan Rodriguez enjoys basketball, working out in the gym, eating sushi and watching movies. He is originally from Florida, but he graduated from Oconee County High School in 2009. Yet, Ryan's experience is different, because he has beaten the odds: Ryan has Down Syndrome, a condition which would make his achievements impossible for many people. Ryan tries hard to stay active in both mind and body despite the chal lenges that he faces. He hopes to get a job at a video store or movie theater so that he can be involved with the community. Ryan is reserved yet jovial. He carries himself with his own brand of dignity and good humor. Due to scar tissue in his ears, Ryan's speech is sometimes difficult to understand. Flagpole spoke with Ryan and his mother, Joann Rodriguez, about their experiences as a family living with a disability and their hopes for the future. Flagpole: So, you're from Pepper Pines, Florida originally. What brought you to Oconee County? Joann Rodriguez: Well, first off, the school system where we lived, they wouldn't let me transfer him to another school because the schools were all overcrowded. The private school from when he was little was outrageous to go to high school there. And he was skipping class because he wanted to go read a book because the class he was in was mostly low- functioning kids, and Ryan's real smart. So, after the three hurricanes in 2005, we decided to—we had a friend who lived up here in Oconee, and they kept saying to come up to see the schools and everything, and we came up on vacation, and we decided to move here. FP: How old were you when you moved, Ryon? Ryan Rodriguez: Yeah, I was 18. FP: Was Oconee County High School able to offer bet ter programs for Ryan than the schools in Florida? JR: They had never had a kid like Ryan at the school here, and the teacher was so enthusiastic. They only had one class, and she said the kids in that class u 'ere mostly slow learners; they weren't mentally challenged. And she said, "I don't know where he's going to fit in, but we'll do the testing. And she called me two weeks later and said, "He's the smartest kid in the class." Because he reads at a high school level... And she said, "He reads to the class every day." So, they were just so happy to have him... The kids embraced him. He wasn't any different. He wasn't treated differently. He used to eat lunch with the cheerleaders. He was nominated by the varsity girls' basketball team for "Mr. Irresistible," which is [a beauty contest to raise money for cancer research], and he came in second runner-up. So, the kids embraced him. FP: Ryan, what did you think about being Mr. Irresistible? RR: Yeah, I was Mr. Irresistible. It was fun. JR: And you had to go onstage in a tuxedo. FP: Had you ever worn a tuxedo before? RR: No. FP: What do you do now that you're out of school? RR: Basketball. JR: You play basketball with Daddy. You go to the book store. And what else do you do? Where else do you read books? The library! Hello!... And what we're trying to get him signed up to do is to deliver Meals on Wheels to the Oconee seniors. FP: Are you excited about doing that? RR: Mm-hmm. FP: Have you volunteered before? RR: Yeah. JR: Where did you work last summer?... The animal shelter. RR: Yeah. JR: He volunteered at the Oconee Animal Shelter and worked the whole summer. We did adopt a cat, who is around here somewhere. FP: Is there anything that you would like to do in the future? RR: Yeah. The video store. Movie theaters. FP: Your mom told me earlier that you really like movies. RR: Yeah. I like movies. FP: What are your favorites? RR: Green Lantern. Batman. Superman. Young Frankenstein... Oh! Musicals. And drama. JR: You are a drama. FP: Who are your favorite actors and actresses? RR: Ben Affleck... Emmy Rossum. JR: And Adam Sandler movies. RR: Mm-hmm. FP: You said you really like to read. What are you reading right now. RR: A Star Wars book. FP: What are some of your favorite books of all time? RR: Zathura. The book and the movie. JR: And we've read the Harry Potter books. All of them. FP: Do people ever treat you strangely because you have Down Syndrome? RR: Ummm... JR: No, well... a litcle. When he was little—he had a little plastic surgery on his eyes when he was small, and people used to stare at him. I used to say to them—I don't want to put people on the spot, but I used to say, "Are there any questions you want to ask?" You know, like, "don't just stare." If you want some infor mation, I'll gladly talk to you, but don't just stare and make the kid feel bad... FP: It seems like you have a good mom, Ryan. RR: Yeah. FP: Do you two always get along? RR: Yeah. Sometimes she's strict. JR: Daddy's the marshmallow of the family. RR: Yeah, he is. JR: Because you spend more time with Daddy... My husband only works on the weekends, so he has him during the week. That's why the two of them are going to try to do Meals on Wheels for Oconee. And if we can find him a part-time job... we'll even volunteer anywhere. I don't care about him getting paid. I just want him to be doing something out there in the community. RR: Yeah, I need a job. FP: Do you spend much time in Athens? RR: Yeah. I like Athens. All the time. FP: What places do you like to go? RR: Museums. Sushi. Emily Patrick 26 FLAGPOLE.COM-JULY 27. 2011
