Clemson University is home to one of the most unique academic experiences in the nation, Clemson LIFE. The Clemson LIFE program aims to provide a collegiate experience that prepares young men and women with intellectual disabilities for competitive employment and independent living through academic coursework and career exploration.
Clemson LIFE students live on campus in a four-bedroom apartment with meal plans for the dining halls. These on-campus living arrangements provide an opportunity to learn how to live independently with the help of an Independent Living Assistant (ILA). Outside of the classroom, Clemson LIFE students are given an opportunity to live an almost normal college life.
Clemson LIFE is supported by more than 650 graduate and undergraduate student volunteers as Independent Living Assistants, Classroom Assistants, Activity Peers, and Lunch or Dinner Peers. This program allows student volunteers to befriend and mentor Clemson LIFE students while providing them with social interactions with their peers at Clemson.
Student-athletes at Clemson have even been able to get involved with mentoring Clemson LIFE students thanks to the work of Tiger Impact. Tiger Impact is an organization founded in 2021 that arranges Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals for student-athletes and local underserved charities in the greater Clemson area and beyond. These student-athletes can team up with a charity they care about and volunteer their time serving the community and marketing their chosen charity’s work. Tiger Impact uses donations to fund the NIL deals with student-athletes. To learn more about the work that Tigers do for the community or how you can support Clemson’s student-athletes and their charities, click here.
One of the many student-athletes who have teamed up with Tiger Impact is Jenna Thompson. A Charlotte native, Jenna is a junior accounting major who plays tennis for Clemson. Her high school tennis career was awe-inspiring, seeing that she never lost a game (80-0), won four straight 4A State Championships, and was ranked No. 1 in North Carolina since she was 10.
When it came down to choosing where to continue her tennis career, she was down to Wake Forest and Clemson. She came to visit and fell in love with everything we have here at Clemson. The coaches, the new tennis facilities, and the close proximity to home won her over as she decided where to go. “Clemson has a family feel,” a phrase most recruits echo after they come…