From her second-floor room in Thayer Hall, Brooke M. Ellison '00 looks out over the Old Yard. On most days, fellow first-years toss around frisbees or languish amidst the trees, trying to hide from Indian summer's last warm rays.

As she glances out the window toward them, the sun gleams against Ellison's face, delicately framed by long, brown, wavy locks.

Her wheelchair reclined at a 35-degree angle, Ellison is covered in a green plaid flannel blanket.

On her neck--where a man's Adam's apple would be--a clear, plastic tube extends out from underneath her high collar. The tube leads to the back of her wheelchair and connects to a large, black metal box.

Ellison, who was left a quadrapalegic after a 1990 car accident, shares her Thayer Hall room with her mom, who serves as her care-taker.

Always highly-motivated, Harvard hasn't slowed Ellison down one bit.

In the month or so Ellison has been here, she has attended the FleetCenter concert fundraiser for Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and, yesterday, watched first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton speak at the Institute of Politics (IOP).

Ellison lists the IOP and the College Democrats as two extracurricular organizations she plans to join.

And although Ellison hasn't chosen her concentration yet, given her activity schedule, it isn't surprising to hear her list government among the possibilities.

Until she makes up her mind, the first-year is taking a solid load of requirements: Science B-15, Literature and Arts C-14, Italian A and Expos.

When picking classes, Ellison says she has to make sure her mother is at least faintly interested in the course material; in high school, Mom was known to nod off occasionally in duller classes.

Usually, however, Ellison's mother--who retired to her room almost immediately after this reporter arrived--remains her daughter's right hand--literally.

If Ellison wants to respond to a question in class, her mother raises her hand. She can also jot down key concepts, although Ellison usually relies on good listening and asking classmates for notes.

Applying Herself

As a high school senior last year, Ellison didn't plan to attend Harvard--in fact, she says she applied last year "just on a fluke."