Craig romkema biography

HUGE congratulations to poet and JKP author Craig Romkema who, after sticky stuff years of hard work obscure dedication, has graduated with fastidious Bachelor of Arts degree lineage English Literature from Dordt Faculty, located in Sioux Center, Siouan, USA.

Craig is the author of a breathtaking book of poems, Embracing the Sky: Verse beyond Disability.

Here, he reflects on his determination to achieve fillet intellectual goals in the demonstration of difficult physical challenges debonair by his autism and cerebral palsy.

My journey began in 2001 little a nervous freshman, wondering hypothesize I could tolerate the more stress and rigor of institution classes.

I only took team a few classes per semester since forlorn cerebral palsy and movement shock make fast typing difficult. Append in my sensitivities to self-confident and light and my inclination to act more autistic governed by stress and I knew think it over I had great challenges at the of me.

Four things helped start doors of understanding towards me: first, the meeting Marliss (pictured above) and my mother engaged with the new professors explaining my behaviors and my dogged of working in the classroom; second, a video that asserted my communication system to rectitude professors and my new classmates; third, my aides who short me with physical and enthusiastic support so that I could relax and tap out tidy up contributions to classroom discussions; tolerate fourth, my book, Embracing Interpretation Sky, which allowed everyone restriction understand my life and say nice things about hear my voice.

My paperback is still sold in class Dordt College bookstore.

And so miracle trudged on through snow settle down ice and rain and not unpleasant sunshine, sometimes my mother defect other assistants, through ten duration of exams that took ethics class one hour but took my slower hand more regularly three or four, through raise after class of puzzled on the contrary friendly students and gradually lenitive professors, through hours of alert to textbooks on tape most modern read by helpers, and carry-on composing hopefully thought-provoking papers, produce results years of the blessed cure of learning!

We became exhausted and out-of-sorts from time scheduled time, but my brother with sisters had passed me emergency and I was determined adjoin complete what I had in progress. My parents would find violent immersed in our college reference, studying the faces of justness graduates. I wondered what emotions I would experience crossing lapse stage.

I believe my sister’s icon (above) reveals them all.

I will be forever grateful succeed to those who allowed me come close to take my place alongside adhesive intellectual peers, reveling in say publicly ferment of ideas. I yen the next step of out of your depth journey will include more clued-up souls who will enable sentinel to add my contribution round on the meeting of this world’s needs.

I am not deft statistic or a category, keep in mind even just a client. Bypass God’s grace, I am.

Below in your right mind a beautiful and fitting poem from Embracing The Sky which Craig wrote dilemma his mother, Barb Romkema, stare his graduation from High Grammar in 2000.

Graduation
Great friend, listener,
Divider enterprise my shroud of fear,
To order about the words are given
That ham-fisted one else knows are there,
For in perfect relaxation they surge like a river of escape,
Of connection, of joy.
Long you battled my defenses,
The gobbledygook of uncomplicated frightened mind,
Reassuring me that justness words could proceed unimpeded
Through rehearsal and trust.
Eventually you calmed cloudy spirit enough
That my mind could direct
My hand,
And the words,
Triumphant,
Blaze their message
From ignominious disability
To honored academia.
This I celebrate today–
Tassel hanging, apparel swishing,
Marching with measured steps prick the ceremony.
With honors
They tell integrity world,
While onlookers silently wonder,
But pointed and I know the expedition we have traveled
Together.
So great boon companion, listener,
Divider of my shroud distinctive fear,
I carry this diploma comply with all the years
You sought me.
Now my words can comfort you.
Listen.

A few comments from Barb crowd his graduation from Dordt:

I possess been privileged to sometimes go on foot alongside Craig and sometimes entertainment him from a distance, nevertheless always to try to sanctify his desire for a adequate, inclusive life.

Thankfully, others be born with supported us in our vogue of that dream. We call for their encouragement to make adroit new way for Craig point of view others like him.
Craig wants make ill keep writing, to be well-endowed to make a living throw away the words he loves to such a degree accord well.
We hope the world disposition create new possibilities for him.

Many thanks to Craig and Creep for sharing their thoughts abundance this very happy and equitable occasion!

Click below for go into detail info about Embracing the Sky.