Mackinly “Mack” Adams hasn’t been in a real classroom since the fourth grade. The Arnold, Pennsylvania, native was diagnosed with a rare form of actinic prurigo, a disease that causes severe reactions to sunlight and ultraviolet (UV) light. Adams dreamed of having a real college experience, and Penn State New Kensington was able to make the goal a reality. Read more about Adams' journey here.
Mack Adams stands outside by the lion shrine statue at Penn State New Kensington. He must wear protective head, eye and body coverings while outside to lessen the chance of severe reactions caused by sunlight and ultraviolet (UV) rays.
Image: Rebecca Dietrich
Mack Adams had not been in a conventional school setting since the fourth grade, but dreamed of having an actual college experience. New Student Orientation (NSO) was one of the first times he spent an entire day on campus at Penn State New Kensington. “I really never thought he would be able to go to a campus and experience it, and it’s amazing,” said his mother, Kelly, during NSO.
Image: Rebecca Dietrich
Mack Adams and his mother, Kelly, sit in the Blissell Library at Penn State New Kensington. “I think the big thing is that he’s just a regular person like everybody else,” she said. “The only difference is he can’t go out in the sun or be under fluorescent lights. It’s a big difference, but it’s really the only difference.”
Image: Rebecca Dietrich
Mack Adams was able to attend many New Student Days (NSD) activities thanks to updated LED lighting and access maps provided by the campus. For activities in areas not yet converted, he was still able to attend them thanks to a Beam Telepresence Robot awarded to the campus’s biobehavioral health program as part of Penn State’s Teaching and Learning with Technology REACH initiative.
Image: Rebecca Dietrich
“It was very rewarding to see the excitement in [Mack's] eyes when he got to see parts of the campus that he hadn’t been able to see prior to using the Beam,” said Jim Rounce, Penn State New Kensington’s director of information technology.
Image: Rebecca Dietrich
“By far, this has been the most rewarding and fun experience for me,” said Jim Rounce, Penn State New Kensington’s director of information technology. “Having the opportunity to utilize emerging technology to improve a student’s experience was very rewarding, and it reminded me why I got into education in the first place.”
Image: Rebecca Dietrich
Through his research about actinic prurigo, Randy Tressler, physical plant manager at the campus, learned that light-emitting diode (LED) lighting was safe for those suffering from the disorder. The campus had already started converting some of its older, fluorescent lighting to LED lights to meet sustainability and energy goals. Over the summer, Tressler leveraged funding and donations from vendors so that multiple areas of campus could be converted to LED lighting sooner than originally planned. More than 700 bulbs and fixtures have been converted to date, with more planned in the future.
Image: Rebecca Dietrich
Mack Adams speaks with other New Kensington students at the Back to School Bash. “One of the things I asked Mack and Kelly first was finding out what was most important to them,” said Theresa Bonk, director of student affairs. “What I heard over and over again was, ‘I want to be a college student.’”
Image: Rebecca Dietrich
Adams shares a laugh with other New Kensington students in Cafe 780. “I thought this was something we needed to do,” said Tressler, who worked with Adams and others on the campus to identify what areas of the campus he would need to have access to that would allow him to be a regular student.
Image: Rebecca Dietrich
Adams makes an ice cream sundae during a campus activity. “The campus is committed to access, and in this case, it’s about light waves, but across the board, it is truly fulfilling to work at a campus that is here to help students follow their dreams,” said Andrea Adolph, director of academic affairs at New Kensington.
Image: Rebecca Dietrich
Mack Adams' hobby is photography, and he can be found with his camera on the New Kensington campus capturing moments and activities, as well as participating in the Photography Club.
Image: Rebecca Dietrich
