Student Attains Goal

The summer after his graduation from North High School in Wichita, Anthony Moore thought he was on top of the world. He had landed a good job, had great friends and was excited to start making money. And then --- his world turned upside down. Moore was in a car accident that left him paralyzed and in a wheel chair.

“I made a bad choice by not wearing my seat belt,” Moore said.  “I was pretty hard-headed and immature. Being disabled slowed me down and helped me mature.”

Moore spent years in rehabilitation and was not sure what his next goal should be. He had lost the use of his right leg and hand. School never came easy to him, so he did not plan to attend college. Then he saw his brother go to college and succeed. Moore decided to give school a try.

“College really opened my eyes to the world,” said Moore, now 29. “It definitely opened employment doors for me.”

Moore graduated with a liberal arts associate degree this spring and hopes to give back to the community. His dream is to help youth that are less likely to succeed. After graduation, Moore was hired as a youth care worker. Eventually, he would also like to be a substitute teacher in the Wichita School District and continue to help teens.

“I want to tell kids about their future and that education is important,” Moore said.

Moore still keeps in touch with several of his high school teachers and understands the power of encouragement and having a positive role model.

“Anthony is such an inspirational student,” Butler professor Andrea Scharenberg said. “He is extremely positive, helpful and a hard worker. He works so hard in class.”

While in school, Moore took a fitness class and built up his leg muscles, helping him to bear a small amount of weight on his weak right leg. After that class, Moore said his leg became stronger. At graduation, with the help of a walker and cheers from the crowd, Moore walked a few feet on stage and received his diploma. Moore is also proud of his ability to learn and grasp concepts.

“His thinking has developed and focused. I’m proud of what he has accomplished,” said professor Randy Bush, Ph.D. “He is good natured and he has a good sense of humor.”

Nowadays, Moore has realized that humor is his best medicine. “I can always find the good in everything,” he said. “It’s not about what you want to do, it’s about what you have to do.”