A Look Back At ClemsonLIFE Graduation

The ceremony honored graduates Hope McSwain Banks, Steven Bennet Fleming Jr., Rion Holcombe and Jacob Austin Stark. Holcombe gained media attention in 2014 thanks to a viral video documenting his enthusiastic response to acceptance into ClemsonLIFE.

Chandler Catanzaro, placekicker for the Arizona Cardinals and former Clemson football player, spoke at the ceremony and share his perspective on ClemsonLIFE and its impact on the university. The ClemsonLIFE program at Clemson University is designed for students with intellectual disabilities who desire a postsecondary experience on a college campus.

Students in the program take specialized classes, work in on- and off-campus jobs and live in apartments on campus under the supervision of resident assistants. More than 100 Clemson students volunteer in the program, serving as tutors and “buddies” for meals and activities. The ClemsonLIFE program started in 2009 under the direction of founder Joe Ryan, associate professor at Clemson’s Eugene T. Moore School of Education. Housed in the school, the program has grown to include six full-time staff, two part-time staff and six undergraduate students who work for the program. ClemsonLIFE is one of five such programs in South Carolina.