Last month, Avery Parker, Director of Finance for Georgia Community Foundation, had the opportunity to interview Luke Easterwood, an exceptional young man who is a recipient of the Thomas G. Harris Scholarship. Avery’s account of her conversation with Luke is truly inspiring. Luke shares with Avery his story of perseverance, his incredible attitude, and his sound advice for rising college students – although it is advice that should be applied to folks in all stages of life. We hope you find his story and perspective as admirable and motivational as we do.
At 23 years old, Luke Easterwood has earned two college degrees, is working his dream job as a technical writer for Amazon, and is newly engaged to the love of his life. Those are significant accomplishments for any 23 year old. They are even more significant for Luke, considering that on November 13, 2008 he was involved in a motor scooter accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down, thus changing his life forever. When I spoke to Luke he was in Dandridge, Tennessee with his fiancé finalizing plans for his spring wedding next year. “This is a really exciting time for us,” he said. “We have been together for two years now.” When I asked him to tell his story, he took me back . . . way back to Armuchee High School where he first discovered his passion for writing. In his 10th grade literature class, Mrs. Floyd gave each student a choice of creating a poster or writing a short story inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Luke felt he had created enough posters throughout his highschool career and decided to try writing a short story. Impressed with his work, Mrs. Floyd strongly encouraged him to consider being a writer and coached him over the next year to further develop his skills.
The next year, Luke took the initiative to join the Georgia College & Career Academy Network, where he took self-directed internet courses to learn the basics of computer programming and technology. There he discovered his love for technology and detailed work and wondered if there was a way to combine his love for creative writing with the detail-oriented specifics of technology. He set his sights on applying to Georgia Southern University, the only university in Georgia at the time to offer a Bachelor of Arts in Writing and Linguistics in Information Technology & Information Systems.
By the fall of 2008, Luke was an honors level senior, captain of the school’s soccer team, a member of an up and coming band, and worked part time for his parent’s company inspecting homes for mortgage companies. On November 11, 2008, Luke received his acceptance letter from Georgia Southern University. He and his parents were ecstatic. Everything was coming together for Luke. His life seemed perfect, and he was on the fast track to achieving his goals.
Two days after receiving his acceptance letter from GSU, Luke decided to purchase a motor scooter. He had been considering the purchase for several months. Inspecting homes required that Luke sometimes travel long distances and the cost of gas was high. Luke was responsible and the purchase made economic sense.
On November 13, 2008, Luke purchased his motor scooter and left the car lot with his parents following closely behind him. They were all traveling to the Armuchee Talent Show where Luke and his band were scheduled to perform. Ten minutes into the drive, Luke passed out from a suspected drop in blood sugar and left the roadway at 50 mph. He traveled 30 feet before slamming into a tree, while his parents helplessly watched. Luke woke in a hospital to learn that his accident had left him permanently paralyzed from the chest down. His doctors explained that the injury he sustained in the accident was equivalent to a Major League Baseball player swinging a metal bat at his back. After waking in the hospital and realizing just how serious his injuries were, Luke said to his mother, “I still want to go to Georgia Southern.” Thinking back, Luke says that those words served as a reminder to he and his mother that his “life wasn’t over, just different now.”
Luke spent the next two months “learning to live again” at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, a top rehabilitation hospital for spinal cord and brain injuries. In addition to working daily to physically recover from what he now refers to as his “Road Bump,” Luke committed himself to accomplishing two things while in rehab: (1.) To get back to his normal life and graduate from high school on time with his friends and (2.) to find a way to fund his academic career at Georgia Southern University (GSU). Luke had no intention of leaving the fast track to achieving his long term goals. While in the hospital Luke completed and mailed his application for the Thomas G. Harris Scholarship.
He returned to high school in late winter to the news that he had been selected to participate in the next step of the Thomas G. Harris Scholarship selection process: a face to face interview. In early spring of 2009, Luke was awarded the scholarship, making it possible for him to attend GSU in the fall.
Upon arrival at GSU, in August of 2009, Luke was assigned a dorm that was nearly a mile away from the campus amenities such as the dining hall. Committed to his “new version of normal” and seeking a high level of independence, Luke never complained or requested a move. He just accepted the challenge and adapted to his surroundings. He manually pushed his wheelchair more than ten hours per week across campus, building physical strength and becoming more and more self-reliant. His positive attitude is a key factor in his adaptability. When I commented on how tough that must have been he said, “You know, not really. I never had it any tougher than anyone else there. I never felt sorry for myself. We each have our own challenges to focus on. Mine aren’t any tougher than anyone else’s, just different.”
Luke earned his BA in Writing and Linguistics in Information Technology & Information Systems from GSU in just three years. Feeling it would allow him even more opportunity and freedom, he made the decision right away to pursue a graduate degree. He applied to the only two schools in the nation that offered advanced technical degrees in Human Centered Design and Engineering: Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and University of Washington (UW). With his heart set on attending Georgia Tech, in March 2012 Luke received his rejection letter from Georgia Tech and his acceptance letter from UW within days of each other. If he could secure financial aid for his Masters degree, he would be moving across the country!
Luke reached out to the Thomas G. Harris Scholarship Fund and was awarded a Masters level scholarship to pursue his advanced degree. According to Luke, “This really meant a lot to me. I was faced with one of the biggest challenge of my life moving across the country and to me they were saying ‘Go for it! We believe in you!’ I needed to hear that. Had that support not been available, the transition would have been much harder.”
That summer Luke and his mother made the cross country road trip from Armuchee, Georgia to Seattle, Washington with Luke driving a large part of the trip using installed hand controls. Looking back, Luke says it was the right move. He quickly grew to love Seattle and excelled in his studies securing an internship with GE Healthcare as a technical writer.
Luke graduated from UW in May 2013 (at 22 years old) with a Master of Science in Human Centered Design and Engineering, a degree focused on the design and evaluation of information products, technology and interactions between products and users. Thinking it was a “long shot,” upon graduating, Luke applied for a position as a technical writer with Amazon. After months of phone interviews and writing samples, Luke had a face to face interview at the Amazon campus that lasted seven hours. On November 13, 2013 – the 5 year anniversary date of his injury, or “Road Bump” – Luke was offered his dream job writing for Amazon.
As Luke reflected on his journey he said, “Looking back, if I had gotten in to GA Tech, I would have missed so many opportunities. I would have been happy, but I don’t know that I would have been fulfilled. I think it is important in life to have the ability to adapt. You have to know your destination, but be willing to change your path to get there. I just always worked to find the good in things that seemed bad at the time.”
As if his personal story wasn’t inspiring enough, I asked Luke what advice he has for high school and college students. He had the following advice: “Orient yourself in a direction and GO. If you had to leave the house for 12 hours a day, what would you do? How would you spend your day? I would find a way to write something. Find the thing that interests you and know that is what you need to pursue. Don’t ever let your end result be money driven. Let it be driven by passion and genuine interest.”
Listening as he told his story, it was amazing to me what Luke has accomplished. He has achieved so much compared to the average person his age. But what is more amazing to me is how humbled and down-to-earth he is. Throughout his life he has viewed what most would consider significant challenges – even complete “show stoppers” – as opportunities.
When I said to him, “Wow! How does it feel to have accomplished so much?” He replied, “You know, I am just so humbled by the opportunities I have had. Everyone thinks I have accomplished great things, but it’s not totally me. It’s the support of my friends and family, whole school communities and the Thomas G. Harris Scholarship Fund. When I summarize my life to myself I think ‘I’m 23 years old. I have an advanced degree, a great job. I’m engaged AND I am independent.’ There is definitely something bigger happening here. It’s not just me. The next step for me . . . my next goal . . . is to give back. I want to pay forward the same opportunities I have had to others.”
Well Luke, I think you are well on your way . . .
