Angie Del Gaudio from Long Beach, CA has been selected as the 2024 Collin Lis Humanitarian Award winner. Del Gaudio created the “Rams Without Limits” after-school dance program for neurodiverse and neurotypical individuals at Millikan High School in Long Beach, California.
The club, created three years ago when Del Gaudio was a junior, connects students through the art of music and movement in a 1:1 inclusive environment.
The program “creates change makers. Students learn how to be advocates, and it fosters a much more inclusive environment on the high school campus,” says Del Gaudio.
As a life-time Girl Scout member, Del Gaudio came up with the idea for the program as part of her Gold Girl Scout Award project. Inspiration for the idea came from her experience with Down for Dance, a dance program for adults with Down syndrome that originated in the dance studio that she attended for lessons. Del Gaudio wanted to try to create a similar program at her high school and offer it for free as a way for neurodiverse and neurotypical students and teens to connect. As a member of her high school dance team, she was positive she could make it happen.
She approached school administration about her idea and the rest they say is history. The program is student-led with student volunteers and a student board to govern decisions. Over the past few years, it has grown to be known outside of the school walls too. The dance team has been able to connect with others in the community at an adaptive sports fair where they put on a show, and also at a local baseball camp.
Del Gaudio, now a college student at the University of Southern California (USC), is still very much involved in the Rams Without Limits after-school program. Her hope is to expand upon the program and bring it to other school districts in the area.
“A favorite memory I have recently is when I came back this year to help coach. The students were so excited to see me. It was such a wholesome experience – I felt that I had actually impacted someone’s life.”
At LuMind IDSC, we couldn’t agree more. Her impact on many lives within her community is the reason that Angie Del Gaudio was selected as this year’s Collin Lis Humanitarian Award recipient.
