Alex Bolden is believed to be the first ECLC School graduate to attend an out-of-state college serving the general population
CHATHAM -- At the ECLC School in Chatham, which serves students from ages to 6 to 21 with autism, Down syndrome and severe learning disabilities, most graduates attend adult day workshops. Some get jobs after leaving the school, and a few go on to college.
Alex Bolden of Livingston, who graduates on Thursday, will do something truly rare. Not only will he be going to college, but he'll be doing it out of state.
Bolden, 21, diagnosed with both autism and Down syndrome, has been attending ECLC for the past 11 years. Now he is headed for George Mason University in Virginia, where he'll be enrolled in a certificate-granting program that trains students with disabilities in life skills along with giving them a taste of the regular academic subjects.
George Mason is a public institution that is the largest research university in Virginia and Bolden is believed to be the first ECLC graduate to attend an out-of-state college that serves the general population.
What made Bolden stand out for such an unusual mission?
"He's just a great kid," said ECLC Principal Diane Gagliardi. "He's a responsible kid. It's a great program there and they're looking for students who can be somewhat independent and follow a program."
Students in the George Mason LIFE program are "developmentally delayed, but still growing and learning," she added.
The brochure for the Mason LIFE program says it provides "young adults whose disabilities have traditionally excluded them from higher education with an inclusive university experience that will further their academic skills, prepare them for employment and encourage independent living in their communities."
Said Bolden of his choice to go to college, "I had an idea in my head of what I wanted to do after high school and I asked my mom, 'where am I going to college? She was surprised."
Bolden's mother, Tara McCabe, said she was "shocked" when her son told her he wanted to go to college.
"It wasn't something we had talked about at all, but it's what people around him do. Alex was ready before I was," she said.
"Alex has always had big dreams," she added. "We take it one step at a time and see where we wind up."
So McCabe and her son researched what was out there for a student like Bolden, limiting their choices to schools within an eight-hour drive. The LIFE program at George Mason, located just outside of Washington, D.C., was their first choice.
"It's a really nice balance between your typical college and a supported life," McCabe said. Students get plenty of attention as the staff includes other students getting training in related human services subjects.
In addition to reading, math and regular "catalogue courses," students learn such life skills as "nutrition" in the "really individualized" curriculum that provides a "really nice transition" between home life and the working world, McCabe said.
Bolden, who wants to focus on sports management, hopes to open a sports camp for children with disabilities after he graduates.
A dedicated swimmer who is certified in CPR and first aid, Bolden volunteers helping chlildren at Livingston's recreation center and also plays basketball, soccer and softball.
In the dorm where he will live, Bolden will share an apartment with other students in the LIFE program but they will be surrounded by students in the general school population.
Bolden has already chosen his dorm and he's very pleased that it's located right next to the pool.
"Swimming is kind of like yoga for me, but it's more fun," he said. "I'm a water baby."
Bolden will be tasting the college life next week, when he heads to George Mason for orientation.
"It's very exciting," his mother said. "Terrifying, but exciting. He's never been away from home before. This is an experience I can't give him.
"If he stayed home, I couldn't stop doing his laundry, but now he's going to have to figure it out," she added. "He's always been interested in living independently."
So independently, in fact, that Bolden, who is learning how to drive, hopes to eventually be able to drive himself from New Jersey to Virginia.
Ben Horowitz may be reached at bhorowitz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @HorowitzBen. Find NJ.com on Facebook.