Conejo Adventist^® Elementary School

Today, a former student celebrates her 27th birthday. Obviously, it has been several years since she was here at Conejo, but she continues to inspire me with her accomplishments. During her time at Conejo, she was mostly non-verbal, but her classmates enjoyed her company and included her in all their activities. It wasn’t until she was almost finished with high school down at NPAA that her voice was unlocked through using a simple letter board to spell out each word. The process was, and still is, long for her to communicate but she was now able to show us her personality and intelligence that her family, teachers, and friends knew was hiding just below the surface. 
 
For many years, it was unclear how much she really understood and what she was capable of understanding, but it was very clear once she began to communicate in a meaningful way that she had heard and understood everything her entire life. The first question she spelled out to the woman who taught her how to use the letter board was, “Do you believe in heaven?” The moment she could “speak” she chose to share her faith. I’m in awe of her determination to reach her goals and so proud of her multiple accomplishments, like graduating from a 4-year university with a degree in biology, but I’m most proud of her faith and her ability to share her faith and beliefs with people around her. She is bold and doesn’t allow obstacles to dictate her path in life. My former student has taught me a lot about how to live my life. 
 
He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ – with all boldness and without hindrance. Acts 29:31 NIV