WEBVTT 00:00:02.718 --> 00:00:03.630 align:center [MUSIC PLAYING] 00:00:03.630 --> 00:00:07.490 align:center DO-IT Scholar Profile: Randy. 00:00:07.490 --> 00:00:09.980 align:center For more than 30 years, the University 00:00:09.980 --> 00:00:13.700 align:center of Washington's Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, 00:00:13.700 --> 00:00:16.740 align:center and Technology Center, also known as DO-IT, 00:00:16.740 --> 00:00:19.460 align:center has hosted programs to promote equal access 00:00:19.460 --> 00:00:21.860 align:center within challenging post-secondary programs 00:00:21.860 --> 00:00:23.100 align:center and careers. 00:00:23.100 --> 00:00:25.490 align:center Some projects work directly with students, 00:00:25.490 --> 00:00:27.500 align:center such as DO-IT Scholars. 00:00:27.500 --> 00:00:32.750 align:center This video features a DO-IT Scholar named Randy. 00:00:32.750 --> 00:00:34.100 align:center I'm Randy Hammer. 00:00:34.100 --> 00:00:38.030 align:center I was one of the first DO-IT Scholars. 00:00:38.030 --> 00:00:42.920 align:center I started with DO-IT in 1993. 00:00:42.920 --> 00:00:45.930 align:center We were one of the first summer programs. 00:00:45.930 --> 00:00:47.480 align:center I believe there were 16 of us that 00:00:47.480 --> 00:00:50.000 align:center came to the University of Washington. 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:54.020 align:center We spent two weeks on campus living in the dorms 00:00:54.020 --> 00:00:59.880 align:center and experiencing different types of science, technology, 00:00:59.880 --> 00:01:01.700 align:center engineering. 00:01:01.700 --> 00:01:04.000 align:center All of us had disabilities. 00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:07.020 align:center I, for example, am completely blind. 00:01:07.020 --> 00:01:09.150 align:center Both of my eyes are prosthetics. 00:01:09.150 --> 00:01:11.160 align:center Other folks that were in the group, 00:01:11.160 --> 00:01:15.080 align:center we had some that were hearing impaired. 00:01:15.080 --> 00:01:17.520 align:center We had some with mobility impairments. 00:01:17.520 --> 00:01:21.350 align:center A very good friend of mine has cerebral palsy. 00:01:21.350 --> 00:01:24.650 align:center I specifically remember the Saturday night 00:01:24.650 --> 00:01:28.370 align:center that we were up here, and we all sat 00:01:28.370 --> 00:01:31.830 align:center in the common room of the dorm. 00:01:31.830 --> 00:01:33.520 align:center We had TV going. 00:01:33.520 --> 00:01:37.990 align:center We were all just being kids, all being teens. 00:01:37.990 --> 00:01:42.030 align:center And we were existing with each other in the way 00:01:42.030 --> 00:01:44.770 align:center that all teens normally do. 00:01:44.770 --> 00:01:47.260 align:center And it was so, looking back at it now, 00:01:47.260 --> 00:01:51.700 align:center very special, even though at the time it was just another night. 00:01:51.700 --> 00:01:54.690 align:center But thinking about the context of that night 00:01:54.690 --> 00:02:00.658 align:center now with my perspective, it's actually a very special memory. 00:02:00.658 --> 00:02:01.950 align:center I'm glad I brought that one up. 00:02:01.950 --> 00:02:02.215 align:center [VIDEO PLAYBACK] 00:02:02.215 --> 00:02:02.480 align:center [MUSIC PLAYING] 00:02:02.480 --> 00:02:04.330 align:center - I learned what college life is like. 00:02:04.330 --> 00:02:07.050 align:center And most importantly, I learned that the early bird 00:02:07.050 --> 00:02:09.150 align:center catches the shower. 00:02:09.150 --> 00:02:12.960 align:center It's a good program because it teaches you a lot about science 00:02:12.960 --> 00:02:14.760 align:center and math and engineering. 00:02:14.760 --> 00:02:17.430 align:center I learned a lot about engineering, 00:02:17.430 --> 00:02:19.095 align:center both from the labs we did and just 00:02:19.095 --> 00:02:21.345 align:center from the professors and teachers that were brought in. 00:02:21.345 --> 00:02:21.928 align:center [END PLAYBACK] 00:02:21.928 --> 00:02:25.700 align:center Through DO-IT, I found an internship at Weyerhaeuser. 00:02:25.700 --> 00:02:27.550 align:center Weyerhaeuser is a forestry company, 00:02:27.550 --> 00:02:31.950 align:center and through that internship, I got on with their IT department. 00:02:31.950 --> 00:02:34.650 align:center I had already started to think about computers 00:02:34.650 --> 00:02:38.760 align:center as my eventual career, and so this kind of 00:02:38.760 --> 00:02:40.680 align:center meshed very well for me. 00:02:40.680 --> 00:02:44.370 align:center And I worked through that internship 00:02:44.370 --> 00:02:47.130 align:center and not only came out of that internship 00:02:47.130 --> 00:02:49.930 align:center with a permanent position at Weyerhaeuser, 00:02:49.930 --> 00:02:53.730 align:center but ultimately became a senior member of the team 00:02:53.730 --> 00:02:56.620 align:center that I was on, was promoted multiple times, 00:02:56.620 --> 00:03:00.040 align:center and it was all due to the fact that I got my foot in the door. 00:03:00.040 --> 00:03:02.440 align:center And DO-IT got that for me. 00:03:02.440 --> 00:03:06.520 align:center The mentorship that I had early on from DO-IT 00:03:06.520 --> 00:03:12.820 align:center was sufficient to show me how to actually mentor people, 00:03:12.820 --> 00:03:17.140 align:center and that has specifically influenced my career 00:03:17.140 --> 00:03:18.950 align:center because I manage people now. 00:03:18.950 --> 00:03:26.260 align:center But it also has allowed me to be a functional mentor for existing 00:03:26.260 --> 00:03:30.670 align:center or new DO-IT Scholars, the ones that are coming into the program now. 00:03:30.670 --> 00:03:33.730 align:center The only way to become a leader is 00:03:33.730 --> 00:03:38.660 align:center to observe other leaders in the field. 00:03:38.660 --> 00:03:41.350 align:center And sometimes those leaders are successful 00:03:41.350 --> 00:03:44.480 align:center and you learn from how they do it successfully. 00:03:44.480 --> 00:03:48.550 align:center Being a leader is so key to what I do today 00:03:48.550 --> 00:03:53.170 align:center that it's difficult for me to break that down. 00:03:53.170 --> 00:03:55.905 align:center But if I go back in my own history 00:03:55.905 --> 00:03:57.280 align:center and think about the things that I 00:03:57.280 --> 00:03:59.590 align:center have done in my life, all of that 00:03:59.590 --> 00:04:05.050 align:center rolls back to the idea of how do I take the people that 00:04:05.050 --> 00:04:10.100 align:center are around me and through my own actions, make them better. 00:04:10.100 --> 00:04:13.860 align:center And that really is the idea of mentorship. 00:04:13.860 --> 00:04:14.985 align:center And that's what DO-IT does. 00:04:14.985 --> 00:04:16.890 align:center [MUSIC PLAYING] 00:04:16.890 --> 00:04:19.890 align:center SPEAKER: To learn about how you can get involved or for more 00:04:19.890 --> 00:04:22.960 align:center resources about supporting students with disabilities, 00:04:22.960 --> 00:04:28.880 align:center consult uw.edu/doit. 00:04:28.880 --> 00:04:34.000 align:center Copyright 2025, University of Washington. 00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:36.370 align:center Permission is granted to use this material 00:04:36.370 --> 00:04:38.770 align:center for non-commercial purposes provided 00:04:38.770 --> 00:04:41.580 align:center the source is acknowledged.