As three-time Council Scholarship recipient Kaylee Mueller enters her final years of undergraduate study at UW-Green Bay, she says she feels mixed emotions. On the one hand, she’s nervous about what life will look like after graduation. On the other, her four years in college have been a time of immense growth. “I was so shy and introverted when I started my freshman year,” Kaylee says. “Now I’m the one who goes up to the shy introverted freshmen to get them to come out of their shells.”
With her final year of undergrad underway, Kaylee is making the most of it and keeping a full schedule. Last year, she helped launch a new cultural group on campus, Ability Allies, focusing on students with disabilities. While the club began the 2023 school year relatively small, by the end of last school year they had a close-knit group comprising both students with disabilities and allies.
She hopes that the group will continue to grow throughout this school year and partner with other organizations on campus to help put on events. Specifically, Kaylee is looking to work more with the school’s LGBTQ Pride Center. “There is a lot of overlap between people at the Pride Center and people with various disabilities,” Kaylee says. “This year I want to encourage more intersectional events instead of focusing on just one part of somebody’s identity.”
On top of founding the Ability Allies, Kaylee also serves as vice president of the school’s Residence Hall and Apartment Association. In that role, she gained experience in advocacy and leadership, working to get sharps containers installed across campus. Add in staying involved with student government and plenty of studying to finish her Psychology degree, and Kaylee is certainly staying busy. But she still finds time to meet up with friends, though she’s had to teach herself some new skills.
“Honestly, staying so busy all the time has forced me to get really good at time management,” Kaylee says. She emphasized that she’s grateful for the Council scholarship because it enables her to worry less about finances and gives her the courage to continue to strive for everything she wants to achieve.
After graduation, Kaylee plans to eventually pursue a Master’s in social work. But until then, she plans to continue helping shy freshmen come out of their shells and discover who they are. “I’m not going to lie—college is scary and hard,” Kaylee says. “But once you reach out and find your community and your people, that support is the best feeling in the world.”
The Council has been awarding scholarships to postsecondary students who are blind or low vision for decades. You can find more information on our scholarship program at WCBlind.org/Events/Scholarships.
