Rising Potential

TXST launched Bobcat RISE (Resilience, Independence, Self-determination and Empowerment) in Fall 2023 to offer students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) the opportunity to take tailored college courses and learn new skills to live independently and enter the workforce. Housed in the College of Education, the program enrolled five students for the first cohort and has since grown to enroll 10 students per year.  

Bobcat RISE is only the third four-year residential program in the state. The curriculum is split between 40% traditional academic classes, 40% job shadowing and internships, and 20% independent living skills. While participants don’t earn a degree, they are invited to walk during commencement and receive a certificate of completion.

TXST administrators started pursuing a program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities in 2021. During their research, they found Tamara Shetron, a Bobcat alum who had studied relevant programs while she was a doctoral student. Shetron received her Ph.D. in developmental education in 2020.

Shetron was invited to join a 17-person think tank to develop the program at TXST while she was working at Austin Community College, where her job involved aligning two-year and four-year degrees. Together, the group started the conversation of what an inclusive postsecondary education program would look like at TXST for students with IDD.

Once the plans were solidified and funding for the program was secured, TXST posted the job for a program director. Shetron applied, landed the role, and headed back down to San Marcos in 2022.

“I gained a lot of program mapping and requirement designing experience at ACC,” Shetron said. “But before that, I was a musician and a spiritual instructor at a residential center for adults with IDD. The residents’ parents would tell me how much it hurt their heart that they would probably pass away before their loved one who had trouble taking care of themselves. What’s the best way to fix that? Education. I decided I wanted to tackle that issue.”

Christian, a 25-year-old from Fredericksburg, is in the first cohort of Bobcat RISE. He said he applied because of his love of history and goal of landing a job in that field after college.

“I want to work in a museum as a tour guide or as a history specialist to help staff and visitors,” Christian said. “I’ve been into all types of history since I was little.” 

Students with intellectual disabilities often “get put in a box,” Shetron noted.  

“They get to sixth grade and someone asks them, ‘What do you like?’ If they say they like dogs, then that person tells them they’ll be a pet groomer. Because they tend to be a little slower to speak, people talk at them and not with them. When these students get to college, it’s a chance for them to leave that old narrative behind and figure out who they really are and what they really want to do.”

For the first few weeks of the fall semester, Bobcat RISE students are paired with the previous cohort, student workers, service-learning classes, and interns from the School of Social Work to learn the San Marcos Campus layout. They spend time finding their classes, taking the best routes to get there, and exploring campus dining. 

Caitlyn now has aspirations to be a photographer for Universal Studios once it opens its next theme park in Frisco, Texas.

“I enjoy my photo projects in class, and Universal would be close to home and I can do my photography there,” Caitlyn said. “I can take pictures of the kids with the characters in front of the landmarks.”

Caitlyn spent time with Christian and the other students from the first cohort when her first semester started. She had sprained her back earlier in the spring, and he helped walk her to class and held her hand to make sure she got there safely.

“It’s amazing what these kids are doing,” Collin Cobb said. “They’re becoming a family and advancing intellectually and socially.” 

Stephanie Graham, Bobcat RISE program specialist and TXST alum, teaches employment classes, arranges site visits, and coordinates internships and job shadowing opportunities for the students.

In her classes, students research different career fields and the jobs associated with them. They then practice building resumes, writing cover letters, and participating in mock interviews.

“We have a really good team that is passionate about what we’re doing,” Graham said. “We’ve gotten positive responses on our communication with potential families and current families that they haven’t received from other IPSE programs.” 

After classes are underway, student interns transition to helping Bobcat RISE students with notetaking, reading, organizing homework, and navigating various class projects.

Cedrick Harden, a special education major who will graduate in 2026, is a student worker for Bobcat RISE and co-president of Boko Buddies, the tie-in student organization for the program. 

“I’m very much an advocate for inclusion for people with disabilities, and knowing many of them don’t get the chance to go to college broke my heart,” Harden said. 

“My instant instinct was I needed to be a part of this. It has very much been life changing for me. This team is like my second family, and I love the students to death. This is my passion now.”

Through his job, he teaches a healthy choices course, helps with daily study groups, and holds office hours for students who need extra support for their assignments. With the student organization, they take students to sports games and find events on the weekends so they can feel welcomed by the TXST community.

During the second semester, the students take part in campus internship opportunities to further explore what they’re interested in. The cohorts have interned with the Welcome Center, Recreation Center, University Events Center, Meadows Center, and KTSW. 

While most of the internships happen on campus, the program is expanding to partner with community organizations, like the LBJ Museum.

For Collin and Bridgett Cobb, Caitlyn’s mother, they were sold on the program as soon as they heard the first cohort speak during Caitlyn’s interview session.

“The students started talking about the program, and it amazed me,” Bridgette said. “The way they articulated things, the way they walked around campus, the way they communicated with each other, it all seemed so normal. I knew this could be Caitlyn. Within months of being here, she was becoming herself.”

In addition to academic classes and internships, students also have the chance to earn certifications and participate in micro-credential courses. 

Shetron said she hopes that Bobcat RISE’s four-year certificates will eventually be recognized as a form of a traditional credential.

Christian’s mother, Suzanne, said the growth that her son has shown through the independent living portion of the program has been exponential.

“He’s shown more independence than I ever thought he would,” Suzanne said. “As parents, we want to hover over him and help him do everything, but this has allowed him to grow and become independent without us hovering. He’s totally embraced this and has grown in so many ways.”