McClain Hermes
We had the opportunity to hear from recent Gwinnett Online Campus graduate, McClain Hermes, at Fusion. On the Main Stage, McClain shared how Gwinnett Online Campus, which uses the Brightspace platform, had allowed her the same academic rigor as her sighted peers, and allowed her to keep up with her training and competitive swimming schedule – including competing at the Rio 2016 Paralympics.
What has McClain been up to since Fusion?
In August, McClain competed as part of Team USA at the Para Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. McClain competed in six swimming events and won two bronze medals, one silver medal, and one gold medal. After the Games, McClain headed home to eat some pizza and prepare for college!
McClain is a freshman in college, where she is also on the swim team. She is continuing to “swim by faith, not by sight” and is loving college so far.
Here at D2L, we are also excited to see what the next year holds for McClain and we are looking forward to cheering her on at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games!
Watch the video of McClain at Fusion 2019
I am having so much fun and the independence is great! I am really enjoying all of my classes and the entire swim team is so welcoming. I am super excited to see what the next year holds!
– McClain Hermes, Graduate & Competitive Swimmer, Gwinnett Online Campus
Joe Kelly
At Fusion, we also had the opportunity to hear how the LiFE program, a collaboration between University of Memphis and FedEx delivered on the Brightspace platform, has had an impact on Joe Kelly, a front-line manager at FedEx.
“I DID IT. I’m a college graduate.”
Joe, along with a few other FedEx employees, graduated from University of Memphis, exactly one year to the day that the program was launched at the FedEx Memphis hub.
Here are a few pictures from that day. We also spoke with Joe a couple of days ago, just before he was heading outside to do some plane de-icing training for the upcoming winter season. He passed along his thanks to D2L for hosting him at Fusion and shared how completing his degree filled such an enormous gap in his life. He remarked that this was the first time in his life that he was excited about where the future could take him and what will come next.
Watch the video of Joe Kelly at Fusion 2019
Graduation was very exciting and emotional. On Friday, I had to pick my cap and gown up. On the way home, I stopped by the cemetery and visited my mom’s grave. I put some articles and the trail from my gown on some flowers that were there. I got real emotional and started to cry. When I left, a country song by Cole Swindell was playing on the radio: “You should be here.” It was then that I completely lost it as I realized I finally made it. My journey was coming to an end. I fulfilled a promise and a dream I thought would never have taken place.
– Joe Kelly, Front-line Manager, FedEx
During the ceremony I kept saying to myself, “This is really happening.” When I walked across the stage, Dr. Irwin presented my diploma to me and it took everything I had not to tear up. Once I got back to my chair, I remember sitting down and thinking, “I DID IT. I’m a college graduate.” My whole family was there – my father, brothers, sister, wife, kids, nieces, nephews, work group employees. The support I had was incredible.
– Joe Kelly, Front-line Manager, FedEx
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