Against all odds; college student set to graduate

Cedarville, Ohio, WDTN - Against all odds, a Cedarville University student with with a form of cerebral palsy will be graduating college this Saturday, May 7th.
Emily Shanahan will be graduating with a Bachelor of Art in Communication, and minor in both Bible studies and Spanish.
She explains her condition as having the intelligence of college senior, but the motor skills of a six-month old.

"While my body doesn't work, my brain works perfectly fine, unless you ask some of my friends. They might have a different angle on that," laughs Emily.

Emily calls herself "differently enabled."
She says humor, determination and strength are the keys to her success.

"My faith has definitely played a big role," says Emily.

Faith in a plan she started devising at age 9.
That's when Emily says she knew she wanted to study at Cedarville.
Because she is wheelchair bound, Emily needed full-time care to live on campus.
That's when her "Dream Team" came to the rescue.

"There are two different aspects to the dream team. there's an academic side and a personal care side."

50 women helping Emily with routine tasks from taking notes in class to getting Emily up in the morning.
To Emily, the "Dream Team" are her angels on earth.
They say Emily has actually blessed them.

"She is so encouraging. She never really had a bad day. Even when she did have a bad day she is smiling and laughing and making other people laugh. Always sending us encouraging notes, texts and emails. More encouraging to us as we are to her," explains Erin Hoeflinger, a member of the Dream Team.

The Two people most moved by Emily's determination, her parents.
Her mother held back tears as she told me about Emily's accomplishments.

"Its a culmination of commitment, of leadership, and of a vision. To have the vision of Emily where she was at as an 8th grader to seeing her realize her dream as a senior," says Barb Shanahan

Graduation won't end Emily's dreams.
She plans to attend graduate school and pursue a career motivating, educating and inspiring others.

"Everyone has pain, everyone has a story and everyone is seeking answers. I hope to be able, lord willing, to point them back to Christ," says Emily.