Cooper Kias · CTE · Leadership · Disability Advocacy
I THOUGHT I KNEW WHAT MY FUTURE LOOKED LIKE.
Before CTE became such a big part of my life, I was going to join the Army. Then I started having seizures, and the future I had planned changed almost overnight.
THEN EVERYTHING CHANGED.
Military service runs through my family. I was involved in JROTC, competed on the rifle team, and saw real value in leadership, discipline, and service.
After my epilepsy diagnosis, an Army recruiter told me the future I had planned might no longer be possible. I eventually stepped away from the rifle team because I was afraid a seizure could put someone else at risk.
I lost motivation. More than anything, I was scared.
I moved to California to be closer to specialized neurological care. One of the most important things my neurologist helped me understand was that I could not build my entire life around being afraid of what might happen next.
So I started taking chances again.
SKILLSUSA SHOWED ME THE OTHER SIDE OF CTE.
I was already in an Arts, Media and Entertainment pathway studying video game design. I knew the classroom side of CTE. I had never been exposed to the leadership side.
Through CSET's #LEAD program, someone involved in college and career programming invited me to a SkillsUSA signing day.
I was sold almost immediately.
I asked, "How do I become an officer?" I applied that day and paced the floor waiting for the advisors to call.
I went on to become a California SkillsUSA state officer.
THE SUNGLASSES BECAME SOMETHING BIGGER.
I am autistic, and eye contact can be difficult for me. Sunglasses became one of the ways I made that easier.
When I ran for state office, I passed them out as part of my campaign. Later, I walked onto a stage in front of thousands of students and saw those same sunglasses throughout the crowd.
Something that started as a way for me to feel more comfortable had become a way people connected with me.
I HAD NEVER FELT SO SEEN.
THE STAGE GOT BIGGER. MY DISABILITY DID NOT DISAPPEAR.
A year later, I stood onstage in front of roughly 7,000 students as a California state officer. The next year, I ran for national office.
Some of the same students who had supported me in California found me at nationals. They treated me like a rock star. I slowed down, took the pictures, and made time for them because they had made me feel like I belonged too.
Eventually, I walked onto a national stage in front of more than 16,000 people.
Then, during my very first national officer training session, I had a seizure.
I learned quickly that "Cooper the leader" and "Cooper the person with epilepsy" were going to have to exist together.
CTE GAVE ME SOMEWHERE TO BELONG.
Eddie was there to keep me safe, but he also became a familiar, calming presence for the other national officers. He was allowed access throughout the experience. At closing, because of the pyrotechnics, I chose to keep him safely nearby and reunite with him immediately afterward.
There were incredible people along the way. There were also people who treated me differently because of my disabilities, and times when information about my disability was shared without my permission.
CTE did not cure my epilepsy. SkillsUSA did not make being autistic easier. What it gave me was a place to belong while I figured out who I was becoming.
It taught me that service could look different from the future I had originally planned.
CTE changed my life because it gave me a sense of belonging. It taught me to advocate for what I believed was right. And it taught me not only to show up for other people, but to show up for myself.
Leadership for students with disabilities is not about "overcoming." It is about navigating, staying, asking for what you need, and showing up anyway.
If you are a student wondering whether there is a place for you in CTE or student leadership, there is.
You belong in the room. And once you get there, look around. Someone else may be waiting for you to make room for them too.