How to Succeed by Trying Event

Jackie Paulding and I were the co-directors of the best "How to Succeed By Trying Weekend" yet!  "How to Succeed By Trying" is a preparatory experience for older teens who need to work on interviewing, resume building and - yes - eating and dressing skills that are necessary as they enter the adult world. This event has been offered by Opportunities Unlimited for the Blind at Camp Tuhsmeheta for the last 7 years.  This year the program was held on the Flint Campus of the MIchigan School for the Deaf in a building originally built for blind students.  While Jackie managed all the programming, and I managed all the cooking and food, the real key to success was the collaboration between three different organizations: Opportunities Unlimited for the Blind, Michigan Department of Education – Low Incidence Outreach, and Western Michigan University, and was endorsed by the Michigan Commission for the Blind, which provided funding for a number of students to attend.  Two professionals with many years of experience teamed with graduate students in the field of blindness and visual impairments counseling and rehabilitation.  Mentor Matt McCubbin, co-owner of AT Guys, stated, “This was the best How to Succeed By Trying ever, and I’ve attended them all!”  Some of the workshops included speed interviewing (like speed dating – students had 4 minutes to make a good impression on their interviewers and then got feedback), dressing for success - including sewing on buttons, ironing, and makeup, resume building, feeding yourself on a very tight budget, and eating and etiquette at a formal conference luncheon and much more.  Jackie and I wish to thank everyone involved for helping them put together such a fantastic learning opportunity for young adults who are soon to be entering college or the job market.