DENTON (UNT), Texas — University of North Texas students Alex Bartolo, John Martin and Noah Rahn will make a walk in a few weeks that many thought they never would.

Draped in green regalia, they’ll cross the same stage at UNT’s Coliseum as hundreds of their peers during the university’s spring commencement ceremonies. It will be a historic moment for UNT, as the trio of students represent the first graduating cohort of UNT ELEVAR, a unique program designed to give students with intellectual disabilities a true college experience and equip them to lead independent and fulfilling lives.

“This is a culmination of a lot of hard work, dedication and strength by these students,” said UNT associate professor Brenda Barrio (’06, ’08 M.S., ’13 Ph.D.), who helped develop UNT ELEVAR at her alma mater with other faculty collaborators. “Seeing these students graduate is a great example for the community, that not only are students with intellectual disabilities able to be participants in higher education, but they can thrive and really add to the university.”

Since it debuted in Fall 2021, ELEVAR has given students with intellectual disabilities a path forward in their education that is rare in the U.S. Beginning with five students and now with 27 students enrolled, ELEVAR serves a population that has been historically excluded from higher education.

Noah’s mother, Lourdes Rahn, said the program has been a “dream come true” for her son. Before UNT ELEVAR existed, the closest higher education programs for students with intellectual disabilities were located hundreds of miles away or in other states. She didn’t feel comfortable sending Noah that far away.

“We didn’t even think college would be a possibility for him, but then we heard about ELEVAR opening up and that, to me, was a godsend. Now, four years later, to see him graduate is unbelievable. I’m so proud of him,” Lourdes Rahn said.

ELEVAR students attend UNT for four years and take both traditional zero-credit college courses in disciplines that align with their career aspirations, along with ELEVAR- specific courses in financial literacy, life skills and health education. Each student is given a personalized plan, which accounts for their career goals, where they want to live after graduation and their support system. The plan then guides students toward classes and internships that help further their dreams.

“We’ve been intentional from day one about making sure they have the opportunities they need to succeed, and it’s been very inspiring to see them grow and become more independent throughout their time in the program,” Barrio said.

According to the students in the inaugural cohort, ELEVAR has been a life-changing experience they will never forget.

Alex Bartolo

Bartolo remembers feeling an equal mix of excitement and anxiety in his first semester at UNT. But he soon found his stride in campus life, eating most days at Bruceteria, finding quiet moments in feeding ducks at the pond across I-35 by DATCU Stadium and joining the student-run Disney Club where he met friends and got to talk about all his favorite animated movies.

Like many other college students, Bartolo lived with roommates for the first time and learned how to make decisions on his own without the help of his parents.

In the future, he plans to build a career in the entertainment industry, perhaps becoming a professional voice actor. At UNT, he laid the foundation for that work through classes in acting, theater and storytelling.

“I really enjoyed the storytelling class I took with Bethany Farmer in communication studies,” said Bartolo, who has continued to write a story he began in that class about a personified traffic light. 

As a student, Bartolo has served in roles at UNT’s Media Library, Welcome Center, KNTU radio station and on the photo/video team in the Division of University Brand Strategy and Communications. He even had the opportunity to make his voice acting debut as Jay Jay, a 6-year-old blue jet plane, in The Railways of Crotoonia series featured on The MilanToon Channel on YouTube.

“It was so wonderful getting to voice Jay Jay. He’s a little boy plane who loves having fun and doing new things and adventures,” Bartolo said. “When the first episode came out that featured me, everyone was so surprised!”

With only weeks left in the semester, Bartolo says he is in the “endless studying” period preparing for final exams and wrapping up his classes. Before he leaves UNT, he has one very special assignment to finish — a speech he’ll make on commencement day as a speaker in the UNT College of Health and Public Service ceremony that he and the other ELEVAR students will graduate in.

“I’m pretty happy to know that ELEVAR helped me prepare for this moment,” Bartolo said. “All the hard work I’ve put in the last four years has paid off.”

Noah Rahn

Ask Noah Rahn anything about the UNT men’s basketball team and he will be excited to share.

“They’re in first place!” he proudly declared earlier this spring.

As a student, he’s rarely missed a game. He has witnessed two exciting playoff runs, from the team’s first-ever National Invitation Tournament title in 2023, through its most recent NIT run this spring, which included a nail-biting 61-59 victory over Oklahoma State before a season-ending loss to UC Irvine in the semifinals.

“That was a good game,” he recalled of the former. “OSU tried to come back. I was scared.”

Rahn, who dreams of being a coach one day, even got to work with the UNT men’s basketball team for two seasons. Through several courses he’s taken in UNT’s Department of Kinesiology, Health Promotion and Recreation, he has learned about what it would be like to work in the sports realm.

The opportunities are part of being a student in UNT ELEVAR, and Rahn has one definitive word to sum up his experience: “Awesome.”

His mom can add a few other words, too — accountability, independence and responsibility.

“ELEVAR has done such an amazing job at empowering them and making them feel like they have the tools needed to help them springboard and do life,” she said.

Lourdes has watched her son change so much over the last four years as he became more confident in decision-making and advocating for himself.

Noah is looking forward to finishing the program, though he will be sad to leave the many friends he’s made through ELEVAR, and especially Monday nights playing in the student Pickleball Club. But he won’t stray too far for now, as he’s looking for jobs on the UNT campus.

“He loves living in Denton. He’s made his own community there and we’d love to see him stay there,” Lourdes said.

John Martin

Martin isn’t the first Eagle in the family. His maternal grandfather attended UNT, so it’s been gratifying to get to carry a Mean Green tradition on to a new generation.

When he first arrived on campus, Martin says it was a little nerve-wracking trying to find his way around and figuring out the meal plan. He also wasn’t sure where to go if he needed assistance with studying.

“On Canvas, someone made a group chat, and now we can more easily find people to study with, so that’s good,” Martin said.

He only had a few classes this semester, including health and money management, which are among the classes specifically offered to ELEVAR students. 

“Health has been my favorite class. I like to learn more about the human body,” Martin said.

Though working as a valet at the Mercedes-Benz of Plano car dealership takes up much of his free time outside of class, Martin says he enjoyed meeting new friends and attending UNT basketball and football games as a student.

Last year, he hung out a lot with other UNT students through the ELEVAR Peer Ally program, which is designed to develop and nurture genuine relationships between students with intellectual disabilities and their same-aged peers without disabilities.

Barrio says she has watched Martin mature as a person in his own ways, like each of the other ELEVAR students.

“John has always been very independent, but he has learned to learn from others and has been able to take a step back and soak it all in to continue his own journey and growth,” she said.

After graduating, Martin plans to continue working at the dealership and move into his own apartment in Plano. Thanks to his time at UNT, he feels prepared to start that next chapter, but has a bittersweet feeling about leaving campus and the relationships he formed here.

“This is family.”