Yes, I can: Raceland teen a finalist for national award

M’Chel Crosby doesn’t let her disability stifle her ability to excel at Raceland Middle School, where she attends 7th grade.

The 15-year-old is a finalist for the “Yes I Can Award,” which is given by the National Council for Exceptional Children.

The CEC is comprised of special ed educators, administrators and professors who advocate for legislation and funding for special needs education at a national level. The award is given to special needs children in seven categories including art, athletics and academics.

M’Chel is nominated in the academic category.

All finalists receive a certificate of accomplishment and a two-night stay in San Diego for the CEC national conference.

“I was excited… that I get to go to California,” M’Chel said after learning she was a Yes I Can recipient.

The application process included a video showcasing the teen’s talents and challenges. M’Chel entered because she “thought it would be really fun to do.”

M’Chel was born with a rare genetic disorder akin to dwarfism called Campomelic dysplasia, which is characterized by bowed bones in the arms and legs. Most children afflicted with the malady do not survive infancy.

“I’m kind of used to it, but sometimes it’s hard,” M’Chel said. “It’s hard when someone is jump roping; I can’t jump rope with a wheelchair.”

But M’Chel does more than just survive. She thrives.

“She’s always needed our help,” said Nikita Robertson, M’Chel’s mother. “But, she was raised in a house where everybody did everything for themselves, so she just wanted to grasp onto that.”

Nikita said, for example, if nobody else was up, M’Chel would scoot out of bed on her own.

“We learned through the years of taking care of her that some things we didn’t give her a chance to do, she could do,” Nikita said.

M’Chel has a 3.4 GPA and loves to draw. She aspires to be an illustrator when she grows up.

M’Chel said she plans on attending Nicholls State University upon graduating high school. Her inspiration to work hard academically comes from her two older sisters, especially Bianca Robertson, who graduated high school with honors.

M’Chel intends to also graduate with honors.

“She’s awesome,” Nikita said, noting all seven of her children are “awesome.”

But raising a child with such a debilitating condition is not without its challenges. From the first ultrasound, Nikita knew M’Chel would be different.

“I knew that something was wrong in the womb,” the mom said. “…So that gave me the opportunity to get the biggest support group ready that I could possibly have.”

Nikita gathered her friends and family in preparation for the challenges that lay ahead. She said she can understand that people facing the same challenge might not go through with their pregnancy like she did, but with the right support group, it is possible.

For Nikita, abortion was never an option.

But it was not without sacrifice. Nikita, who works in a nursing home, had to give up working fulltime. Although M’Chel’s father and Nikita are not together anymore, he is still very active in her life.

“He is very artistic,” Nikita said of M’Chel’s father, whom she attributes her daughter’s artistry to.

Nikita works weekends and said she is grateful to the nursing home for their compassion during times when M’Chel’s health was poor and she had to take her to the hospital or stay at home with her.

Day-to-day challenges include gaining wheelchair access around the community. Movie theaters, for example, can be troublesome if there is not room for M’Chel to recline in her wheelchair. Sometimes the only area available is on a landing or stairs, which are not ideal.

But with her daughter showing so much promise, Nikita is optimistic for the future. M’Chel is talking about which colleges she might attend, forcing mom “to get on the bandwagon.”

Nikita said M’Chel “inspires everybody that walks through the door.”

“She’s always lifting other kids up if they look down or out, encouraging them to do their best,” said Gretchen Percle, a social worker for Lafourche Parish schools.

And with good reason. Nikita said she envisions M’Chel living on her own one day.

To other children with disabilities, M’Chel advises, “Have confidence, stay strong and be optimistic.”

M’Chel Crosby, 15, of Raceland, is a finalist for the National Center for Exceptional Children Yes I Can Award in the academics category. M’Chel has from a rare genetic disorder called campomelic dysplasia. 

COURTESY PHOTO