In celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month and the 10- year anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Career Services honored a Penn State student with the first Academic Achievement Recognition Award.

The organization recognized Kokou Agbodoh (senior-economics) as the first recipient of the award for achievements and his contributions to the community.

"I think it's a great honor. It gives me incentive to keep doing the hard work," Agbodoh said. "I'm really thankful for the people who support me."

Maritza Ledee-Rivera, student services counselor, said Career Services has been trying to make the NDEAM more significant and recognizable, so they decided to honor a student that has been an achiever.

"Maritza has been working for years to raise people's awareness of the issues of people with disabilities," said Jack Rayman, director of career services. "We have been trying to secure employment for people with disabilities."

Doctors diagnosed Agbodoh with polio at the age of three and since then he has used a wheelchair. His disability has not stopped his determination to succeed, Ledee-Rivera said.

About 40 friends and admirers gathered to talk about Agbodoh and his accomplishments at the reception in Boucke Building.

"There comes a time in everyone's life which we define the moment or the moment defines us. You have successfully defined your life, your moment, despite physical and social challenges," Ledee-Rivera said. "We commend you for your inspiration and contribution to society, the community and Penn State as a whole."

Agbodoh, originally from Togo, a country in western Africa, came to the United States and State College in the summer of 1998 speaking broken English.

"At the beginning, my English wasn't that good, but I made it," Agbodoh said.

Initially, Agbodoh wanted to come to Penn State for graduate school, but the economics degree he received from the Universite du Benin did not have the number of credits that Penn State required for the degree.

The failure rate for university students in Togo is 50 percent. Agbodoh graduated first out of the class of 1,500 students.

Agbodoh, who will receive his bachelor's degree in economics in May, holds a cumulative grade point average of 3.92. He is currently taking 18 credits.

He is a research assistant to David Shapiro, department of economics, and holds a part-time job as a cashier at Weis Market.

"At first I was ready to get back. I felt as if no one cared about me. I read that 75 percent of people with disabilities do not have a job. I thought, 'How will I get a job?' But I stuck around," Agbodoh said. "Through that job, my life really changed. Every weekend I was invited to dinner with a family."

He tutors Math 141 (Calculus with Analytic Geometry II) students on Tuesdays and Sundays.

Agbodoh also lifts weights three times a week.

Teri Jordan, assistant director of the Multi-Sports Complex, met Agbodoh and asked him if he wanted to start a wheelchair track and field team for Penn State. At first reluctant, he decided to go through with the idea.

He placed first in two of his last races, which were held in New York and Pittsburgh. He is training for another in the spring.

"This is the kind of commitment and dedication that I look for," Jordan said. "He has been an inspiration to everyone who knows him. I am blessed to have had Kokou enter my life."

Ledee-Rivera said she jokingly asked Agbodoh what he did in his spare time, thinking that he would answer with 'What spare time?'

"I like to swim," he replied.