At Bethel University, eight special students celebrate a milestone

Two years ago, Lauren Thysell had no interest in going to college. She was content to live at home in Wayzata and hang out with her mom, her constant companion.

But on Saturday, Thysell, who has Down syndrome, will graduate from a special program at Bethel University in Arden Hills with two jobs, scads of friends and an apartment of her own.

Thysell, 26, is one of eight students in the first graduating class of the Bethel University Inclusive Learning and Development (BUILD) program.

It's one of only a few such programs in Minnesota (and hundreds nationwide) to give students with intellectual disabilities a chance at college life.

Until recently, says Cathy Sallas, Thysell's mother, "no one ever thought quite about college as a possibility" for such students. But when she learned that Bethel was launching its program in 2015, Sallas jumped at the chance to enroll her daughter.

"I just said, 'This is fantastic,' " she recalled.

The two-year program at Bethel is based on what Sallas calls "a really wonderful concept" — the students live in dorms, and attend classes, with the help of other Bethel student "mentors" and professionals to provide them with extra support.

Nationally, the number of college programs for students with intellectual disabilities has soared over the past decade, from 25 in 2004 to 248 last year, according to a study by Think College, a national advocacy center.

At Bethel, most of the classes are tailored to their special needs, including lessons on cooking, cleaning and social skills, as well writing résumés and interviewing for jobs.

Along the way, the students get a taste of independence and a chance to blend into the lakeside campus with hundreds of other college kids — playing sports, singing in the choir, working in the dining hall and learning to navigate the world on their own.

"She basically fell in love with it from day one," Sallas says of her daughter.

On Thursday, as Thysell and her classmates gathered for their final presentations in the "social skills and self-determination" class, their emotions seemed raw as they sensed their shared experience drawing to a close.

"I just loved being here at Bethel," Thysell said, before breaking down in tears.

Dawn Allen, the program director, leaned in to comfort her. "So, Lauren, what are you going to celebrate?" she asked gently.

"Everybody," the young woman said between sobs. "You."

Sam Kohs, a 24-year-old classmate from Forest Lake, was asked if he was excited about graduation. "Yes and no," he admitted. "I am happy and then not happy, because I don't want to leave the dorm and all the friends. But also, I want to move on and get, like, a job."

Diane Iverson, a special education teacher who led their social skills class, said the transformation in the students has been dramatic. "They've just become so independent," she said. When they first started, "some students would sit and cry rather than ask me questions," she recalled. But they've learned to speak up for themselves. "They've just grown so much emotionally," she said.

They've also gained a new level of confidence, says Allen, the program director. As part of the program, all the students are placed in internships, to give them practical experience working on and off campus. She believes that will serve them well as they enter the working world.

"I think that will mean a lot to future employers, to be able to see that they completed a college program," she said. "It helps to take the guesswork out of 'can they handle this job,' because they've already done it."

This fall, school officials hope to enroll 16 more students in the program.

The price tag is the same as Bethel's traditional academic program — $45,000 for tuition, room, and board. But this year, for the first time, students in the BUILD program were eligible for federal and state student aid to help cover the costs, according to Allen.

Sallas, who will watch her daughter graduate with a special certificate Saturday, has no doubt that it's worth it. "Society has finally acknowledged that we can't put these people on the sidelines," she said. And she believes a college experience can be just as valuable for people with intellectual disabilities as for any other young adult.

Just look at her own daughter, she says. "She realizes she has a life bigger than her own family and her own immediate community, and that is huge," she said.

"She has this confidence about herself now that will really take her to the next step of living and being part of society."

Maura Lerner • 612-673-7384