Seniors that participate at the University of Colorado Colorado Spring (UCCS) with services from the Office of Inclusive Services all complete a capstone project that aligns with their career goals. Three upcoming graduates recently presented their capstone projects.

Ben, UCCS

Comprehensive Higher Education Certificate, concentration in Leadership and Human Services
Ben enjoys working with people and communicating with them. During his time at UCCS, he worked as an assistant at the UCCS Welcome Center front desk. He's been a role model for many younger students and has experience speaking and advocating for college access for students with intellectual disabilities. For his capstone presentation, Ben presented on what makes for great customer service. He shared "I have a really good feel for working with people and making them feel good in the environment." His research for his project looked at Disneyland's principles of customer service and customer service strategies used by the LEGO store. He summarized his research into his own list of Top 10 Commitments to Great Customer Service. After graduating, Ben hopes to work in an office or mall setting, get his driver's license, and have his own place to live.

Caitlin, UCCS

Comprehensive Higher Education Certificate, concentration in Inclusive Early Childhood Education
In her time at UCCS, Caitlin followed her passion for teaching. She shared, "I got confidence in college and feel proud of myself". She especially liked "learning about student accommodations and modifications". Her capstone project was about teaching reading and literacy through art. She developed several lesson plans. One lesson plan was about The Rainbow Fish story. The goal of Caitlin's lesson was to "teacher students to care and share with others". After reading the story with her students, she walked them through making a rainbow fish hand and friendship bracelet. For the Very Hungry Caterpillar, her lesson plans included making an egg carton caterpillar and a fruit kabob. After graduating, Caitlin will be working as a preschool teacher assistant at KinderCare.

Dylan, UCCS

Comprehensive Higher Education Certificate, concentration in Criminal Justice
Dylan came to UCCS with a passion for criminal justice. For his capstone, Dylan's project focused on the communications between police departments and people with disabilities, a project that showcased how he could use his own criminal justice background and experience as a person with a disability to influence his community. As part of the project, Dylan conducted interviews with the Colorado Springs Police Department to learn more about their services offered to support individuals with disabilities (ex: interpreting services, extra assistance during crises, safety courses). He also followed Senator Casey's police overhaul work to expand 2-1-1 systems to meet the needs of more people with disabilities. While Dylan's plans after graduation are undecided, what is certain is Dylan has truly paved the way for future students to pursue similar areas of study at UCCS.

Congrats to these upcoming grads for completing this big step towards graduation!