Miles Rucker Wins Auger & Auger Disabled Scholar Award
Author: Auger Law | November 2nd, 2018
Auger & Auger is proud to announce that Miles Rucker is one of the recipients of our 2018 Fall Semester Disabled Scholar Award. During the fall and spring semesters scholarships are presented by Auger & Auger to students throughout America who have exceeded expectations and worked very hard to overcome their disabilities. Additionally, recipients of the Auger & Auger Disabled Scholar award have achieved excellence in and out of the classroom and they make positive impacts in their communities. Recipients of the award receive $1,000 to assist them with their educational expenses.
When Miles Rucker was a young boy, he was diagnosed with spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy. Spastic diplegia causes extreme tightness in the muscles and connective tissues. When he was just 7 years old, Miles had his first surgery to lengthen his heel cords to help him stop walking on his toes. When he was 16, he had surgery on his hamstrings and abductors to help him stop crouching his legs as he walked.
Miles has never let his walking disorder get him down. In fact, at a young age it taught him to never give up. Miles always knew he could do all the things that his peers could do. He also knew that he had to work harder than other young people that were not challenged by a disability like his. He knew it would be harder for him but he accepted it and worked very hard to overcome adversity. Miles is competitive and focused, and his drive has given him the ability to be successful in and out of the classroom.
As an avid golfer, Miles was named the captain of his high school’s golf team, a position he kept for two years. Miles claims that his disability has humbled him and given him an underdog mentality that challenges him to be competitive and consistently striving to be the best he can be. He also is grateful for his family and friends that have supported and motivated him to be the young adult that he is today.
Miles currently attends North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, NC. After graduation, he would like to start his own robotics company where he can create new technologies that focus on assisting people with disabilities and physical limitations. His goal is to help improve the quality of lives for people that are affected by their disabilities.
Miles wants to give back to his community and help provide more opportunities for kids like himself to get involved with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (“STEM”). Miles believes those are the fields of the future and that careers in the “STEM” fields will be in high demand.
Miles says those who are facing challenges should never allow others to set their goals or discourage them from trying. “I allowed too many people who did not know what I was going through to tell me what I can and cannot do,” Miles says. “Accept help when needed but try to push yourself so you will be able to stand on your own when you can and want.”
