HIGH VISIBILITY
Alumna performs at Pan American Games
Ania Flatau (Kinesiology 2015) doesn’t let anything get in her way.
The wheelchair athlete and dancer has participated in swimming, basketball, kickboxing and other sports since she was a child. As she got older, she added ballroom and salsa dancing.
On July 26, she appeared on her biggest stage yet when she performed with the American DanceWheels Foundation at the closing ceremony of the Pan Am Games in Toronto.
“It was amazing, the best time ever,” she wrote on her Facebook page. “What an unforgettable experience.” Being visible and participating in community events are part of Flatau’s lifestyle and connect to her work as an advocate for people with disabilities. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in occupational therapy. Flatau, 27, was born with spina bifida and she likes the idea of working with people who have had spinal cord injuries.
“I think it’s important for injured people and people with disabilities to be visible . . . I want to highlight the culture and community,” she said in an interview with the CSUMB magazine in 2014.