Day in the life: Anna Sarol

By Sidney Henkensiefken (shenkens@jccc.edu). Henkensiefken is a staff photographer for the Campus Ledger. This is her fourth semester at the Ledger, and she joined to continue her passion for photography. Henkensiefken loves talking about politics, hanging out with her friends and being with her family.

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Anna Sarol is a regular 19-year-old who attends JCCC. However, what sets her apart is her ability to push through the most difficult of circumstances. Five years ago, Sarol was in a gymnastics accident that changed her life forever. Sarol is a paraplegic, meaning she has no muscle function in the lower half of her body, including both of her legs. Despite these circumstances Sarol has been resilient. Being disabled changes your world, to understand this Sarol explored the JCCC campus to help us understand what it is like to be paralyzed as a college student.
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Anna Sarol is a regular 19-year-old who attends JCCC. However, what sets her apart is her ability to push through the most difficult of circumstances. Five years ago, Sarol was in a gymnastics accident that changed her life forever. Sarol is a paraplegic, meaning she has no muscle function in the lower half of her body, including both of her legs. Despite these circumstances Sarol has been resilient. Being disabled changes your world, to understand this Sarol explored the JCCC campus to help us understand what it is like to be paralyzed as a college student.
As Anna Sarol walked across the stage to receive her diploma in 2019 from Olathe Northwest High School, she went viral, even landing her a feature story on Good Morning America. (Photo courtesy of Anna Sarol).
Going from your car to class may seem easy for most people. However, for disabled individuals like Sarol it can be a much different experience. Sarol pointed out a ramp, that may not even seem like a ramp to most. This ramp is located in between COM and GEB and is well trafficked area for students to get to class. “It is slow incline and it’s long, [when we were on campus] I would push it every day so that is why I found it hard,” Sarol said. These little circumstances seem unnoticeable to those able-bodied people, though they make a huge difference in Sarol’s life.
Imagine going to school and not having a desk in front of you, having to take notes on your lap as the professor lectures. Anna Sarol has had to experience this one too many times. In one of her first classes at the college Sarol came into the class to notice every desk was attached to a chair. When she proceeded to ask a professor where she would take her notes, there was no clear answer. “Access, the program that JCCC has developed for students with disabilities, has made it so a desk will be in every classroom so wheelchair users can slide in, the thing is though it is in the back of the class, where I am more of a front of the class student,” Sarol said.
While Sarol Anna was only on campus for a semester and a half before COVID-19, she noted the college has done a decent job with accessibly though it can always be improved. “I feel like a lot of my purpose in this world is how we can be of service to other people,” Sarol said. By building up a social media presence Sarol has been able to enrich the lives of both disabled and abled body people, as she aims to ultimately “build a more accessible world.”
In no way has Anna Sarol’s disability hindered her from becoming exactly who she wants to be. Throughout her time in her chair, she has delivered motivation to an array of individuals. She not only advocates for hope in times of darkness in her social media posts but, prior to quarantine Sarol has delivered several motivational speeches to students, churches, and other businesses. “I sometimes do keynote speeches, where I talk about my story and how it has affected me, or I talk about specifics aspects of my disability,” Sarol said.
It is easy to overlook what seems like simple problems in the world when it does not apply to you. When going around campus and finding the details that disabled students and employees, there are several aspects of our campus that go unchecked. In the food court at the hot bar and salad bar, before COVID-19 students would reach in to get their food. This proposes a problem for those in a wheelchair, as students like Anna struggle to see the food much less be able to reach without struggle.
One common aspect of daily life that many people just gloss over is how easy it is to open a door. JCCC, according to Sarol, has done a good job of maintaining its automatic door buttons on heavier doors. The doors to the classrooms also are a light wood material making it not terribly cumbersome for the disabled to get to where they need to be. However, it is something to keep in mind going forward in all of our lives.
While Anna Sarol may be disabled, she is surely not incapable. Sarol has made a huge impact on everyone she meets, changing the way that people view the disabled. Sarol engages in all the same activities that the able-bodied person would, though she may do them a bit differently. Sarol, for one, uses hand controls to drive instead of foot pedals.
Anna Sarol shows what it means to overcome the hardest times of someone’s life. Sarol works tirelessly to make the people become more equal and understanding, helping not only our community at JCCC, but the world.
Check out our other story with Anna Sarol here.
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