By Sandra Guy Sarah Joanne Boury overcame huge challenges that few can imagine to walk the stage May 7 for her diploma and to turn the tassle on her graduation cap. Indeed, the 23-year-old Des Moines, Iowa, native is believed to be the first to graduate from college — having earned a double major — while deaf (using one cochlear implant), breathing with one lung and sustaining herself through a tube-feeding system.
Boury’s boundless determination shines through in her next life goal: She’s focused on leveraging her UNI bachelor’s degree, with a double major in family services and social work, to pave the way for others with medical challenges to gain access to higher education and meaningful, decision-making jobs.