Living his dream: Empowering students to be kind, inclusive and to aim high

Luke dances to Taylor Swift music during the assembly. He was once told that he’d probably never walk or talk. Ashland.news photo by Bob Palermini
April 6, 2024

AHS grad Luke Hogan Laurenson shares life lessons with Walker Elementary students

By Holly Dillemuth, Ashland.news

For just a few minutes on a Wednesday morning in late March, it was like old times for Ashland High School graduate Luke Hogan Laurenson.

Young and old were “shakin’ it off” to the song “Shake It off” by Taylor Swift in the Walker Elementary School gymnasium with Luke as they have at many school events when Luke was at Ashland High School. The now 19-year-old, who has quadriplegic cerebral palsy and dysarthria, a speech disability, danced about the gymnasium at Walker Elementary on March 21 with his mom in tow, during a special assembly commemorating Disability Awareness Month. 

A video starring Luke includes a photo of him with Taylor Swift, one of his favorite performers. Ashland.news photo by Bob Palermini

Quadriplegic cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder that affects his body movement and muscle tone. While he participated as a “Sparrow” at Ashland High School, students helped him and his mom raise money toward the purchase of a wheeled chair accessible van to help ease travel. 

According to the Sparrow Clubs USA’s website, a Sparrow is a child up to 17 years old with a life-threatening or life-affecting illness or condition who is adopted by a participating school in a friendship way and completes 300 hours of community service to unlock sponsored funds for their Sparrow family.

Students raise their hands in response to a question at an assembly featuring Luke Hogan Laurenson. Ashland.news photo by Bob Palermini

Luke’s disability hasn’t stood in Luke’s way of achieving his dreams: Meeting Taylor Swift, dancing, walking, earning a 4.0 GPA — and now, becoming a public speaker and taking on the road his message: hope and kindness in spite of adversity.

The 2023 AHS grad has been staying quite busy since turning his tassel last June. 

Luke and his mom, Jane, are now sharing his story with elementary students and want to empower kids to pursue their own dreams.

A Walker Elementary School teacher dances with her students at the beginning of an assembly featuring Luke Hogan Laurenson. Ashland.news photo by Bob Palermini

“We would love to hear some of your dreams … because we think sharing some of your dreams aloud helps give them more power,” Jane told kindergarten through fifth grade students at the assembly.

Jane shared how important it is to be inclusive with individuals with disabilities and to take extra time to be kind.

So far, the mother and son have spoken at Walker, Helman and Bellview schools in Ashland, in addition to an assembly at West Sedona Elementary in Sedona, Arizona, in early March while traveling to see Grand Canyon National Park.

Luke uses a push rod attached to a hat to trigger an iPad-like device to speak. He was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was 6 months old. Ashland.news photo by Bob Palermini

“My dream was to get Luke to Sedona and to see the Grand Canyon,” Hogan told Ashland.news while she walked the Walker Elementary halls with Luke.

She reached out to schools in that area and the principal at a K-5 school in Sedona had experience teaching special education and responded to her inquiry.

“She said, ‘we’ll bring you here,’” Hogan said. “She had a soft spot for this situation, and loved the story, so we went there and did the assembly.”

Walker School Principal Tiffany Burns led the question and answer part of the assembly. Students had many questions for Luke. Ashland.news photo by Bob Palermini

Luke and his mom are now paid speakers, traveling with a personal assistant to help them on the road. They are planning another local visit on May 15 at Willow Wind in Ashland and Ashland Middle School this fall.

“We’re just getting started,” Hogan said of their tour. “We’re figuring out what we want to do.”

They also plan to travel to St. Louis later this year to visit Luke’s sister, Julia, in a trip that Luke hopes includes a visit to Nashville.

A student asks a question at the assembly. Ashland.news photo by Bob Palermini
Quiz time

Students had a chance to get to know Luke and his mom during question-and-answer sessions at the assembly as well as a special Q-and-A for fifth-grade students after lunch.

“Do you like rollercoasters?” one student asked Luke, following his presentation.

“He loves roller coasters, he’s a daredevil,” Jane responded.

Luke selects an answer to a student’s question. Ashland.news photo by Bob Palermini

During a Q-and-A with Beth Van Zee’s students, Luke’s mom Jane Hogan thanked her for caring for their family. Van Zee was Luke’s first case manager at Bellview Elementary.

“When you have a child with disabilities, you have to have a case manager who handles all your work at the school,” Jane said. “She always made us feel heard and really went to bat for us as a family for what we needed for Luke.”

“Luke says he loves you,” Jane told Van Zee.

Students at Walker Elementary learned about Luke before the assembly by reading “The Book of Luke” which was created when he was a student in 2013. Ashland.news photo by Bob Palermini

Jane had the fifth-grade students come up and gather around Luke to see the mechanical chair he drives.

Luke used his “TalkBuddy” computer to share a message with the class and with Van Zee.

“She was amazing at helping me be included in all the regular classes at Bellview when I was your age,” Luke told the students using his “TalkBuddy.”

Questions rolled in for Luke from students, many about Taylor Swift.

One student asked, what the hardest part of having cerebral palsy?

Third-grader Luna Albuquerque do Amaral asked Luke and his mom, Jane Hogan, if she could have a hug during a special assembly at Walker Elementary on Wednesday morning. Ashland.news photo by Bob Palermini

He responded that the hardest part is “his body is really tight.”

Hogan said Luke is a good sport about it, though, and perseveres.

“What’s your dream?” one boy asked him.

“I want to work for Taylor Swift,” Luke said.

His mom added that he wants to work on one of her tours.

The mother and son duo saw Swift perform in 2023 in Santa Clara, California, during her Eras tour.

“We’re coming up with a strategy, so we’ll see,” Hogan said, optimistically.

Reach Ashland.news reporter Holly Dillemuth at [email protected].

April 7: Updated to remove a reference to the release of Taylor Swift’s next album, which is scheduled for April 19, not Oct. 21.

Related articles:

‘Long live’ Luke: Inspiring others, living his dream June 11, 2023

Ashland High serves 1,500 hours of community service for ‘Sparrow Luke,’ unlocks funds to help buy wheelchair van June 20, 2023

Ashland High School students rally around ‘Sparrow’ classmate in new YouTube video Dec. 22, 2022

Students line up to give Luke a hug following a question-and-answer session at Walker Elementary School on March 21. Ashland.news photo by Holly Dillemuth
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Bert Etling

Bert Etling is the executive editor of Ashland.news. Email him at [email protected].

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