On a Roll!

Fort Meade, Md. — In 2016, segways were big thing. They allowed people to travel from one location to another while not taking a single step. Segways eventually lost their popularity, but they did not lose their purpose. In fact, a segway change a 14-year-old Meade High School student's life.

Destiny Jackson, a freshman at Meade, may look like the average teenager on the outside, but something sets her apart. Destiny has kidney failure. She receives dialysis on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, but she found a way to still attend her classes on those days.

"Well they told me, the social networkers, that there was another way for me to continue my work, my school work while I was in the hospital ‘cause I was worried about my school work a lot," Destiny said.

That's where telepresence robot brand Double Robotics came in. The company has a robot that is essentially an iPad on a segway.

"The robot helps me better understanding for whatever topics we have that day or if I get different worksheets, then I can ask questions about it. I can answer question, and then I can learn the concept of what they’re learning as if I’m in the classroom," Destiny said.

Destiny controls the robot's movements from an app on her phone. She uses arrow keys to navigate through Meade's hallways and raise and lower the robot.

Meade school counselor Tiffany Spalding says that the robot is a great innovation that helps to relive the loneliness that a student can feel while battling an illness.

"I think it’s great to give students an opportunity to be in class even while away. It gives them an opportunity to hear the instructor and also to learn with their peers," Spalding said.

Michael Brown, a Meade alumnus, is excited to know that something positive is happening at his former high school.

"It amazes me honestly, because I mean Meade High School is a great school overall, but as far as like the financial and technological aspect of it, we were kind of low on the totem pole. So really that’s really a great thing to see," Brown said.

The next step for Destiny is to receive a kidney transplant, but first, she must gain 6 pounds. She will then be placed on the transplant where she could wait for over one year, but she is hopeful and excited for her future.

"I know I have a long way to go, but we’ve been through it this far. Next is just an adventure," Destiny said.