It is hard to believe that it has been twenty years since I walked across the gymnasium floor and received my diploma at the Commonwealth Technical Institute at the Hiram G. Andrews Center in Johnstown Pennsylvania. I hardly recognize the diploma. Yet, the year I spent there was remarkable and holds dear in my heart.

For those that dont know, the Commonwealth Technical Institute is located in the Hiram G. Andrews Center in suburban Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It is run by the Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. The institute provides educational and other services to several hundred individuals with disabilities. These include many on the autism spectrum from across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and other places.

My mother and others heavily advocated for me to have the opportunity to attend since my high school years. There was a delay because the staff had reservations about my ability to attend. Deep down, they knew I would succeed there, and I did.

I stayed in the dormitories on the campus of the center. I made many friends there. I still connect with them online to this day. I was not as socially inclined as I am now. Later, I discovered that they had similar inclinations. This discovery made me feel better later in life. It also helped me overcome some hard feelings about not connecting socially as I did in the past.

On the educational side, I learned surmountable skills. I still use these skills today in my part-time job and at day services. They have helped me become the person others rely on. I am successfully counted on to do things. I am properly equipped to handle tasks at my job. I am equipped for day services. I am equipped in my personal life too.

On the social front there was the recreational hall and the public transportation to keep me occupied. We would go to the local shopping center or the mall on the weekends that I was there. Some of the other weekends, I would take the AMTRAK into the neighboring county where my sister lives. I would spend the weekend with my family, fostering my independence further.

I have learned to foster myself socially. I even got an award for guiding those that came to learn about the program. During the center’s first transition fair, some of the former educators from my high school came to visit me. They came to see me in the school because they had known of my success there. I had high grades and marks throughout.

Yes, there were many things that I wish I had done differently while I was there. Nonetheless, the experience was exemplary. It molded me into the person I became. It also provided me with the skills I need even today. These skills are still useful as I work and go to day services. The commonwealth invested in me by sending me there. I feel that they have greatly contributed to me becoming the asset I am today. This is why this fine institution and Johnstown will always have a place in my heart.