Divine Akinbobola ’27 fills most of her time studying for her behavioral and cognitive neuroscience classes, practicing Chinese for her minor and being a proud member of the Corps of Cadets. She says her Corps buddies make up a big part of her support system on campus.

“Making sure that I am giving a hundred percent every activity can be a tough goal to meet sometimes, but that's where having a community, having support, having structure, having people who understand and who are willing to push you comes into play,” Akinbobola said.

When Akinbobola started considering what colleges to apply to, she knew two things. One, she wanted to be involved in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). Junior ROTC was an important part of her high school experience and she wanted to continue that into college. Two, she thought she wanted to get out of Texas. Then she learned about the Corps of Cadets.

“If you have a visible disability, there are limitations on joining the military. So a lot of ROTCs were generally out the picture. Then I learned that the Corps takes people who aren’t going to contract into the military,” she said. “When I found that out I said, ‘sign me up!’”

Akinbobola lost the lower part of her right leg to cancer when she was 12. She sees her experience in the Corps to build community and discover her strengths and limitations by putting herself out there.

At Texas A&M, Disability Resources, a department within the Division of Student Affairs, is a huge part of providing that environment where she can try, fail and get back up again. Disability Resources helps students coordinate any accommodations they might need to find success on campus.

“This year I’ve really learned that it’s okay to use the accommodations I have because they are there for a reason,” she said. “That’s why I’m so grateful we have such a supportive disability resource center here. When I was applying to schools, I was surprised to see that some didn’t even have a solid disability services website.”

The information available about Disability Resources and the support available to students was a big draw for Akinbobola. Each student that requests accommodations is assigned an access coordinator that develops an accommodation plan based on the student's needs.

“It creates an environment where I can be like ‘wow, this is something I can do,’” she said. “I have opportunity and the support to be exceptional.”

Her community has been by her side as she’s navigated the ups and downs of her freshman year. From the typical uncertainty of the transition to college to learning to run again, she’s had people with her every step of the way.

“Coming into school, I had just been given a running blade. I did not know how to run, I did not know how to skip. I did not know how to do any of that. And I think it's kind of funny because before I lost my leg, these were things I would take for granted,” she recalled. “So I told my senior mentor that was assigned to me and one morning when everyone else was running, she helped me figure out how to run.”

They spent the morning trouble shooting and progressing from skipping to jogging to running. She said this experience helped her realize that being in the Corps means knowing you are never alone.

That feeling of belonging on campus is something every student strives for and is what makes a place as large as Texas A&M feel like home. Akinbobola said that to her, belonging means having the opportunity to do the things she wants to do and the things that she knows she can do. “When I came for Spend the Night with the Corps, I wore shorts because I wanted to get the vibe of what it would be like to be there. How would they see me with my disability?” she said. “They were just like ‘We are going to figure this out, but you have to give us your best effort.’”

That is the standard for every Fish who joins the Corps – giving your best effort. To Akinbobola, that’s belonging. Having the support and opportunity to give her best.

“That’s why I am so thankful for Disability Resources on campus,” she said. “I always like to draw the difference between your environment and your ability. Your ability is a huge part of it. Your mentality is a bigger part of it. But the environment you are in is the biggest factor, in my opinion, to whether you succeed.”

To help more students like Akinbobola find a place to thrive on campus at Texas A&M, you can learn more about donating by reaching out to givetostudentaffairs@txamfoundation or 979-458-1689.