Blind Ambition: RSU Senior Sets Sights on Communications Career

Rogers State University student Masson Maddox has always reached for his goals.

Even if he can't see them.

Blind since birth, Maddox has spent a lifetime overcoming challenges small and large, to take hold of things that others told him were unreachable because of his disability.

"Something I learned many years ago is that so long as you never quit, you won't fail," Maddox said. "You'll have setbacks, oh, yeah, there will be hard times - a lot of them - but so long as you keep trying, so long as you don't give up, so long as you persevere, you'll eventually reach your goals."

Maddox is a native of Colorado Springs but much of his upbringing was spent alternating between his home state of Colorado and his adopted home state of Oklahoma, graduating from Claremore High School in 2017.

He also attended the Colorado Center for the Blind in Littleton and Pike's Peak State College in Colorado Springs, from which he earned an associate degree but came to RSU to pursue a degree in communications.

"Oklahoma, specifically Rogers State, is a much better environment for me, and once I learned about the communications program here, I decided to study here and get my bachelor's degree," he said.

Initially, navigating his way around the campus grounds proved difficult, Maddox said, but he slowly acclimated to the layout.

"In the beginning, it was kind of overwhelming. It was a completely new environment for me. I was unfamiliar with where everything was and I needed help getting from one class to another, from one building to another, from point A to point B. But if I quit every time something got difficult, I wouldn't be here," he said. "With the right mindset, you can do anything. That's something my mom always taught me."

RSU Accessibility and Disability Resources Coordinator John Carle noted how impressed he is with Maddox's determination and the tools provided him by the university to overcome his challenges.

"Masson is an indomitable young man, full of good humor and ambition," Carle said. "RSU is providing him with the space to discover who he is, both within and outside the context of his blindness. That's just an extension of what we do, or should be doing, for all students."

Maddox said he considers himself "blessed" to have found a home in Claremore and at RSU.

"Honestly, I'm so thankful to be here. All my instructors, the other students, John (Carle), everyone in Student Affairs, everyone here has been so helpful - so supportive. They've all gone above and beyond to help me," he said. "I'm the first blind student many of my professors have ever had and all of them went out of their way to accommodate me, to make sure I had everything I needed to be a success in their class. I'm blessed."

Maddox also credits the lifelong support of his parents in helping him overcome the various obstacles presented not only from his impairment, but from life in general.

"In addition to my blindness, I've got diabetes, so I like to tell people I got the bad genes in my family," he laughed, adding "There's no point in not laughing about it. You've got to have a good sense of humor in life and be able to laugh at yourself. I'm just grateful to live in an age where the technology and resources exist to help me adapt and overcome these challenges."

After he graduates from RSU, Maddox is hopeful to launch a career in broadcasting, preferably as a disc jockey in the Tulsa market.

"My dream job would be to be a disc jockey, like at KMOD," he said. "I'm a big fan of classic rock, metal rock. This year was my ninth time going to Rocklahoma, so for me, getting to work at a (radio) station that plays my preferred genre of music would be my ideal job. I've already got my on-air name: Mad Dog Maddox."

Also, after he graduates from RSU, Maddox said Tennessee-based radio personality Monte Sieberns, also blind since birth, has made plans to fly to Oklahoma to meet with him. Sieberns made his own specialized equipment to allow him to work as a disc jockey and said he will help equip Maddox to allow him to pursue his dream of becoming a disc jockey.

A dream which he may not see, but which he knows is out there and that he's determined to reach.

For more information about RSU's Accessibility and Disability Resources, visit www.rsu.edu/disability-services.

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