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Shameka Andrews
Ms. Wheelchair New York 2006
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Biography Shameka Andrews was born in Albany, New York, where she continues to live
today. She is the oldest of four children. Shameka is currently employed as
a consumer advocate at the Capital District Center for Independence, the
Albany County Independent Living Center. She serves as a member of the
Albany, New York based chapter of the Spina Bifida Association. She is also
a participant in the New York State Department of Health Durable Medical
Equipment Workgroup. |
Shameka is active in her community as a volunteer for the Mercy Care
Nursing Home, the Maywood School Summer Program and Community Caregivers.
She is a graduate of Mildred Elley Business School with an Associate’s
Degree in Business Management. Her goals include pursuing her Bachelor's
Degree in Sociology and learning to drive in order to increase her
independence. Shameka’s hobbies include writing poetry, reading, and going
to concerts and movies.
Shameka has
Spina Bifida.
She has the most severe type of Spina Bifida called myelomeningocele. There
are three types of Spina Bifida. She was also born with hydrocephalus, which
is fluid on the brain.
She has two nieces and two nephews and her
boyfriend Steve is an Elvis Impersonator who uses a wheelchair.
As Ms Wheelchair New York 2006, she hopes to teach people
with disabilities to go after their dreams, no matter what other people say.
You can do it. Find your purpose. Find your passion. Set goals for yourself,
focus on those goals, work hard and never settle for less than the best. If
you believe it, you can achieve it. There is a song that says “I know I can be
what I want to be. If I work hard at it, I’ll be where I want to be."
Shameka was 2nd Runner-up in the 2005 Ms. Wheelchair New York Pageant and
then received the title of Ms. Wheelchair New York 2006 in October, 2005. As
Ms. Wheelchair New York, she will represent the state at the Ms. Wheelchair
America Pageant which will be held in Little Rock, Arkansas, July 31 –
August 5, 2006.
Our God gives you everything you need. Makes you
everything you’re to be.
2 Thessalonians 1:2
 Additional
note March 2006: Shameka no longer works for the Center for Independence.
She is now a member of the Self-Advocacy/Americorps program. |
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Photo description 1: Shameka Andrews and Steve Bland
Executive Director of the Capital District Transit Authority at the CDTA
Town Meeting.
Photo description 2: Shameka Andrews and other
titleholders, including MeIlissa Ortiz
Photo description 3: (LA trip) Shameka Andrews and Eric
Winter.
Photo description 4: (LA trip) Shameka Andrews and
Alicia Leigh Willis
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These Eyes
These Eyes have seen it all
Joy and Pain, Tears like pouring rain
These Eyes have seen your shame and they’ve seen your blame
A father’s excuses, a mother’s abuses
The birth of a child, teenagers going wild and parents who just sit back
and smile
These eyes have seen it all
The darkness of night and days so bright it makes everything seem alright
These eyes have seen it all but still the yearn for more, something they
never seen before
LOVE |
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Just A Girl like You
This is to the girl on the bus that asked all the questions.
Don’t you wish you were normal?
How do you make it through? And the answer is I’m just a girl like you.
I go to school, I go to work, sometimes I can be a real jerk.
I like to watch movies, I like to buy CDs,
sometimes I like to buy two or three.
I like to sing, I like to dance,
I wish I could fit in size 8 pants,
but I can’t, I’m just a girl like you |
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This is my life
My daddy left when I was two
My mother had no idea what to do
The doctors said I wouldn’t make it to five
but everyone else knew I would survive
Years went by and turned 11 and there were times
I wished I had died and gone to heaven
Then came 13 and all the kids were so mean
I guess that’s just part of being a teen
When I turned 16 my daddy came back
But it wasn’t long before he was gone again
and through it all I tried to stay strong
and now I'm 25 and I'm still live. |
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What Disabled
Means to Me Devoted,
Intelligent,
Successful,
Ambitious,
Beautiful,
Loving,
Educated and
Determined to get what you want out of
life
That’s what
DISABLED
means to me |
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| Favorite quote:
“When we lose the right to be different, we lose the privilege to be free.“
Charles Evans Hughes |
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