Waggener students who overcome the challenges for brain injuries to go through the final phase

Louisville, Ky. (Wave) – A student of the Wagener High School is only a week away from the end and has overcome many of the effects of a traumatic brain injury to get to this point in his life.

19-year-old Bryan Lasley recovered from an injury for about five years that he had suffered from Covid 19 pandemic. The injury changed his life forever. The school year 2024-2025 was the first time that Lasley was in a formal classroom since his injury.

“The Waggener High School helped me by getting a motorized wheelchair and put myself in a smaller classroom,” said Lasley. “Ms. Cate helps me every day by just doing it to access my academics, e.g. to understand money. Mr. Powell helps me to provide my iPad, and that helped me to communicate.”

Lasley is not a non -verbal student, but he uses an iPad to bring his thoughts more efficiently. Everything he has to do is to enter what he wants to say and the iPad reads it out loud. It helped him to create and maintain friendships, especially with the peer tutors who are with him all day.

“There are moments when we think: 'Oh, he may need help with this or something.' But he always pulls it through and does it alone. He wants to do things alone. He really strives for it and it shows. “

He is known to his colleagues as a jokester, always with a smile on his face and a big laugh.

“Bryan delivers all the laughter. He is such a pleasure to be nearby,” said Cate. “All students love him, the peer tutors and all of our employees. He only conjures up a smile on the face of everyone. And always has something to laugh about for us.”

Lasley has a great personality, but even larger dreams. As a shoe expert himself, he hopes to design his own one day.

Before this goal, however, one is around the corner – in the end. Lasley worked hard since he suffered his injury not to rely on a wheelchair to move. He will put this work on Tuesday, May 27th, if he runs the stage of completing the Waggener High School.

After completion, he will take part in the UOFL and register for your PACT program, which stands for “access to the community crossing”. The program works in cooperation with JCPS, so Lasley will be able to meet its educational requirements and at the same time experience life on a college campus. He is more than ready to be a card.

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