Just over 22 years ago, John and I had very premature triplets.

Hannah is a true miracle, as her birthweight was a mere 600 grams – that’s 1.3 pounds. Due to her prematurity, she has learning disabilities, including dyslexia. However, after attending Spring Valley School, where she received accommodations and explicit instruction, she was admitted to BSC in fall 2019 with a merit scholarship.

And she graduated in May 2023 with a 3.45 GPA, a degree in health sciences, and an acceptance to nursing school at UAB, where she will enter an accelerated program in fall.

All along the way, BSC’s small class size and personalized approach has been exactly what our daughter needed to succeed. And as head of school at Spring Valley, I know she is not the only student with learning differences or other challenges who has found appropriate accommodations at Birmingham-Southern. With the help of BSC’s Accessibility Administrator, Dr. Sandra Foster, our Spring Valley graduates are successful, too. My UAB physician husband has been genuinely impressed with the academic rigor of BSC’s science classes, and believes Hannah will be well-prepared for the rigor of nursing school.

In January, Hannah traveled on an E-Term trip to Ireland for “The Black and the Green: Civil Rights Movements in the South and Ireland” with Professors GK Armstrong and Desireé Melonas. During the trip, Hannah took an unfortunate fall down a hill that resulted in a significant knee injury. The trip leaders were very accommodating in assisting with Hannah’s medical care in Ireland. After she underwent followup surgery in Birmingham, her spring term professors – Dr. Kevin Drace, Dr. Sarah Beno, and Dr. Centdrika Hurt — were understanding and helpful as Hannah navigated eight weeks in a wheelchair with terrible pain. With their help and personal attention, she was able to complete assignments and tests on time, and to cross the stage at Commencement with her classmates.

We are forever grateful for the way in which BSC welcomed our daughter, nurtured her over these four years, and worked with her during a very challenging last term of her college years. Thanks to BSC, she is well prepared for what comes next. As her proud parents, we are confident she is ready for it.

Dr. Laura Fiveash serves as head of Spring Valley School, an independent college preparatory school in Birmingham providing education in grades 1-12 for bright students with learning differences. Dr. John Fiveash is the Robert Y. Kim Outstanding Educator Endowed Chair in UAB’s Department of Radiation Oncology.