Troy, N.Y. — Stephen Horne’s life changed forever one summer day in 1995 just before his sophomore year in high school.

He was on his way to a canoeing trip in Maine with 10 other friends. When the driver fell asleep at the wheel, all 11 passengers in the van were injured. Horne suffered the most with a broken back-two exploded vertebrae-and a severe concussion. His doctors told him he probably never would walk again.

But the Connecticut native will walk-yes, walk-across stage on May 18 to collect his degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Although at times his gait includes a severe limp and he suffers excruciating backaches, he says, the fact that he can work both legs at all is a miracle.

“I’m lucky,” says Horne, whose spinal-cord injury is permanent and who still undergoes physical therapy. “I’m just happy to be walking around.”

Horne, who will receive his bachelor’s degree in computer science, has secured a job as a programmer for Microsoft in Seattle. The company is paying for a cross-country trip for Horne to visit major cities before he starts his job in mid-July.

Horne credits his success in part to Debra Hamilton, assistant dean for disabled student services in the Dean of Students Office. Hamilton, who uses a wheelchair, assisted Horne in dealing with the typical frustrations and difficulties that physically disabled students must endure while pursuing a rigorous college education away from home. She has been at Rensselaer since 1985.

Contact: Jodi Ackerman
Phone: (518) 276-6531
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