Photo credit to Missy Schwartz, Celebrate Everyday Photography.
Originally published in the Paso Robles Daily News by Reporter Sadie Mae Mace - July 27, 2023
Grace Thayer, a recent Cal Poly graduate and THS Alum, was awarded the Lupus Inspiration Foundation for Excellence (L.I.F.E.) scholarship for her academic and community achievements while living with lupus. Thayer was diagnosed with lupus at 12 years old and is known by many in the community as ‘Amazing Grace’ for her perseverance and optimism.
“Living with an invisible illness has given me compassion and empathy I’m not sure I would have had otherwise. If I had to pick the best thing it has taught me, it would be that you never know what someone is going through in their life just by looking at them. Lupus patients live with pain every day of their life, but most of the time, you would not know it to look at us. We have to choose between letting the pain and other limitations dictate our lives or living life on our terms,” said Thayer, who grew up in SLO County and had her schooling through the Templeton Unified School District.
Since 2001, the Lupus Inspiration Foundation for Excellence has awarded scholarships to college students around the nation who make a difference in their community and are living with lupus. As well as having a GPA of 3.0 or higher, applicants must show leadership in an extracurricular activity and write an essay about the effect of lupus on their life. Thayer noted that “putting my experiences onto paper was challenging, as it is hard to put almost a decade of life with lupus into words. However, in doing so, I gained a new appreciation for my life as it stands, and remain grateful for how lupus has changed me for the better.”
Thayer graduated Magna Cum Laude in June 2023 with a B.S in Liberal Studies, English concentration, and Child Development minor. During the past winter quarter, Thayer had a lupus flare and was in Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center and USC Keck Medical Center for three weeks; she was able to virtually complete her finals and was placed on the Dean’s List. The L.I.F.E. scholarship helped pay for the final year of college, including other grants, scholarships, and funds from coaching with Aspire Softball Academy, and Thayer will have the opportunity to renew it for her upcoming educational goals. She will be completing a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential at Cal Poly in September, with the plan of earning a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction or Education Leadership and Administration from Cal Poly.
“Ideally I would be able to teach in North SLO County. It would mean so much to me to teach in the same community I was raised in and to be able to provide the same positive influence for students that I had in my life in Templeton,” Thayer said.
One of Thayer’s passions lies in softball, where she has worked as a Cal Poly student manager and an assistant coach with Aspire Softball Academy for the past three years. As Thayer noted that she was not able to play softball during her time at Cal Poly due to her lupus diagnosis, she was still able to share her love for the sport through coaching.
“One reason I am so happy to work for Aspire is that I feel their goal of using softball as a tool to teach these girls the skills they’ll need to succeed in life such as perseverance, goal setting, and respect, aligns with my passion for the sport and for being a positive influence on kids. Aspire works to develop strong female student athletes, and making a difference in their lives makes this job special,” Thayer said.
All coaches at Aspire Softball Academy are high level softball players, whether current or former. Founder and head coach Sheila McGuire has coached Thayer in the past and said that Thayer “is a great role model for our young girls who attend the academy and play for the Aspire Softball program. She has shown so much strength and perseverance, especially when she was in the hospital and still watching our games on GameChanger and trying to help with our coaching duties from a hospital bed. Not surprising that she does not let her diagnosis define her…She is a great teammate and will go above and beyond for the success of others…she does not complain and does not give up.”
Thayer notes that the support she’s received, such as from former teachers, has influenced her decision to give back to the community.
“You never know what someone else is going through just to live a ‘normal’ life. Be patient and kind with others – it could make a world of difference in their day or their life,” Thayer said.