Baldwin High School graduate not letting her disabilities define her
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A Baldwin High School graduate isn't letting her disabilities get in the way of her pursuing her dreams.
Julia Murray graduated among the top of her class. She enjoys skiing and playing hockey. She is blind and deaf.
Murray is also an advocate for others who are visually or hearing-impaired. She has never let her medical condition define her.
"Not being able to see the way everyone else does, I have to find adaptations to see, different assisted technology," Murray said.
She loves the motto adopted by the organization Envision Blind Sports: "Fear Less. Do More."
"That's what we should live by. We should always want to do more and push ourselves to do more things and try things maybe we don't think we would be able to do," she said. "We may surprise ourselves."
"She has that never give up, give in attitude. Whatever it takes, she's gonna do," said her father, Jeff.
"She was just determined to excel and do what everybody else was doing," said her mother, Liz.
That courage and fortitude will land her this fall on the campus of Slippery Rock University, where she's already delivered presentations on advocacy. This summer, she will travel to the Helen Keller Center in New York. There she will learn life skills to help herself and others.
"I've always wanted to go to college. That's always been a dream for me. I'm very excited to move forward with that and to help people," Murray said.
