[Massachusetts-NFB] Member to Member Getting to Know Each Other

[Bronwen Tedesco]

Welcome to our next Member to Member! Today we will get to know Christopher
Supplece. Christopher was born and raised in Haiti where he lived with his
parents and cousins. He was born blind but did not receive a proper
diagnosis until later when he went to the US. When he  realized something
stood out about him, it was when he was  in Haiti. He went to basketball
tryouts without his mother knowing, and he was hit in the face by a
basketball. When recalling that experience, he said, “We were all lined up
and the coach was passing the ball. When it came my turn, the ball hit me
in the face. When the coach asked me why I did not catch the ball, I told
him that I couldn’t see it. That was the day I realized I needed to find
something else to do.” Then when he was a senior, he came to the US.



When Christopher was sixteen, he and his family came to the US. He needed a
proper diagnosis and wanted more opportunities. He went on to attend
Northeastern University receiving a bachelors degree in business
administration with a concentration in entrepreneurship in hopes to
eventually start his own business, graduating this year. When he was a
senior in high school, his TVI introduced him to the NFB and scholarship
program. He applied toward the end of college receiving a scholarship and
attending the state convention in 2020.



Christopher currently lives in Mattapan with his mother, uncle, and
cousins. He is currently looking for a job. He enjoys long walks, the
beach, fencing, and is working with Stephanie Valdez on making blind
fencing national. He also speaks three languages: Haitian Creole, French,
and English, describing English as his third language. When asked if he had
any advice for anyone who has lost their vision or recently joined the NFB,
he said, “Be patient with yourself. It is important to give yourself grace.
Eventually it gets easier. Just be patient with yourself and believe that
you can do anything.” It has been fun getting to know you, Christopher, and
stay tuned for our next Member to Member!


Have a great week and happy holidays!


Sincerely,

Bronwen
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/massachusetts-nfb_nfbnet.org/attachments/20251207/e51edca0/attachment.htm>