Every day I get the privilege of working with some incredible human beings. Each of them has suffered a life-altering injury in service to the country, and as we get to know each veteran, we learn what overcoming challenges really means. To me, it might be dealing with some lingering knee pain.
To Wyakin Warriors like Colby Morgan, it is dealing with blindness that resulted from receiving a series of shots as he prepared to deploy to Afghanistan. His body reacted to them by damaging his eyes.
Colby Morgan
What would you do as a suddenly-blind teenager whose Army career was so quickly taken away? How would you overcome that challenge? I would have withdrawn into a metaphorical fetal position and begun a slow and inevitable spiral downward into self pity and helplessness.
Colby chose to pursue a degree in one of the most technical and difficult majors at Boise State University, and he is excelling. Here is a recent email description of what he is doing as the first blind student in the university’s College of Innovation and Design.
Colby Morgan, a proud Wyakin Warrior and blind veteran attending school at Boise State University has been instrumental in the development of an award-winning, must-have, “gazed-based” virtual-reality application for projects made in Unity. If you haven’t heard yet, Unity is the next big deal in integrating various code language for game developers, without error. This award isn’t just a big deal for Colby, it’s a huge win for Boise State and for Wyakin! Help us celebrate the success of an incredible individual in Colby Morgan by joining us for the Guardian Ball on December 3rd. To be a sponsor or purchase tickets, click here.
He builds applications for virtual reality devices. I am old enough to be Colby’s father, but I feel like a child in his presence.
Colby and his fellow veterans in Wyakin have made the decision to keep moving forward despite the obstacles life has thrown at them, and will some day be the people leading our communities and country.
If you come to the annual Guardian Ball in Boise on Dec 3 (don’t miss it if you are anywhere nearby – it is inspiring and fun), you’ll have the chance to meet them. If not, then please join me in supporting them as we marvel at their journeys and accomplishments.
