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No limits to success: Saint Francis graduate’s journey inspires family, school

LORETTO -- Newly minted college graduate Dayra "Dasha" Kirby knows a thing or two about overcoming adversity, and she wants people to know that no matter what limitations a disability might create, "you can push through it."

Kirby donned her cap and gown Sunday to receive her bachelor's degree in communications and a minor in education at Saint Francis University. She is now going for a master's degree and will be a graduate assistant with SFU's Small Business Development Center.

As Communication Student of the Year two years running, the 22-year-old is described by her professors as kind, funny, talented and creative, as well as intelligent, hardworking and motivated.

"Dasha is a unique combination of confidence and humility," said Kelly Rhodes, her academic adviser and professor.

Kirby credits the support of her parents for her successes.

Born in Russia, adopted and brought to the United States when she was 3, turning 4, Kirby has dwarfism, which she said is an obvious factor when people meet her in person for the first time.

Her parents, Terri and Robert Kirby, also have dwarfism and though they wanted children, decided not to have biological children due to medical issues. Instead, they turned to adoption.

"We wanted a little person, since we knew as little people ourselves, we could relate to the child and give them what they needed physically and emotionally," Terri said.

"When we saw Dasha's video, photos and history, somehow we both knew she was the one," Terri said.

From the beginning, Terri said, "Dasha was a great kid, very adaptable, very happy."

She and Robert encouraged Kirby's faith in God, positive attitude and made sure she was involved in a wide variety of church, school and social activities so she could meet and get to know many new friends, Terri said.

"Faith was a big part of our lives, so we attended church, Sunday school and church social events on a regular basis," Terri said. "She was surrounded by a lot of loving extended family and friends who went out of their way to welcome and include her."

That upbringing has given her the confidence to forge her own way in life.

Standing 3 feet, 1 inch tall, Kirby said she "wants people to know to not judge a book by its cover."

Because of her size, people ask her if she needs extra help or will underestimate her abilities, Kirby said.

Dwarfism might seem like a problem to some people, she said, but it doesn't stop her from doing anything, including driving, kayaking, fishing and swimming.

"When you think about it, everyone has their own problems; it just comes down to how well you handle them," Kirby said.

She describes herself as a spontaneous person who enjoys hanging out with friends and socializing, and she loves all things to do with water.

"I'm new to kayaking, because I got into it in the heart of the pandemic," Kirby said. "During that time, I went kayaking every weekend."

She is also a sports fan and often goes to local high school basketball games.

'All in the same boat'

Getting to the point where she can be active, though, did take some work, Kirby admits.

As a child, she had multiple surgeries on her neck, back and legs.

While these surgeries caused her to miss some of her childhood, "they made me who I am today, so I can be mobile," she said.

The support of her family was especially felt during the surgeries she had -- from neck stability surgery when she first came to the U.S. as a toddler to back surgery and then hip surgeries in elementary school.

Terri said even Dasha's teachers and classmates tried to encourage her during her hospital stays and as she recuperated and was home-schooled.

Kirby has Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, a rare form of dwarfism occurring in less than 1 in 100,000 births.

Her father has achondroplasia, a more common type that occurs in about one in 40,000 births, and her mother has Kniest dysplasia, another rare type found in one in 1 million births.

The fact her parents have dwarfism really helped, Kirby said.

"We're all in the same boat," Kirby said.

Because her parents knew firsthand what to expect, they were able to help her with school, letting officials know where she would need stools and that she would need an extra set of books for home.

And if she ever got a little down about being short, her mother would give her a little pep talk.

"My Mom and Dad are so supportive of whatever I want to do," Kirby said. "They have been in my shoes, so they are able to give direct personal feedback."

Kirby graduated from Forest Hills High School and said she had a positive experience there.

"My high school was great; whatever I needed, they would get it for me," she said.

When it came time to pick a college, she chose SFU, partly because her mom works there, but also because while growing up, she attended a number of events there.

"I already knew the atmosphere and the good vibes of the campus," Kirby said. "It was an easy pick for me."

SFU also allowed her to enjoy the commuter life, and that made it easier than it would have been to live on campus, she said.

Kirby drives herself to campus; her vehicle is equipped with pedal extensions and a booster seat that helps her be able to see and reach all the controls.

Once on campus, accommodations were made so she could access the bathroom facilities and classrooms had stools so she could reach needed items. In addition, friends helped her out if she needed assistance.

"I have a lot of great friends who are super-supportive, so they can help me if I need to reach for something," she said.

But one of the most annoying things she has experienced is grocery shopping, where reaching items on top shelves is difficult for average height people and doubly difficult for someone on the smaller size.

It sometimes seems that everything she needs is on the very top shelf, she said.

"If it's not desperate, I just keep moving on or I just wait to ask someone to help me," Kirby said. "Everyone is super kind and will recognize that I need something and offer to help."

While Kirby and her parents are members of Little People of America, a regional and national organization, she doesn't do too much personal activism, though she will cover dwarfism as a topic for class projects and a podcast, she said.

Choosing a career path

Because SFU is a small campus, Kirby said she got to know her professors and they have helped her figure out what she wants to do with her career.

She enjoys her communications major and wrote for Troubadour, the student newspaper. She said that gave her a good grasp of what it is like to work in the industry.

"It is intense," she said. "You get used to deadlines, trying to contact sources and asking good questions at interviews."

Because of her work in communications, Kirby was recommended to help with the "Songs for Ukraine" benefit concert held at the Everett Area High School in Bedford County on March 19.

All proceeds went to the International Red Cross to assist Ukrainian refugees.

Saint Francis Professor Pat Farabaugh said when organizers were looking for volunteers to help, he knew she would be a good fit because of her leadership qualities.

"Dasha has skills in all areas of communications; her work exceeds my expectations time and time again," Farabaugh said.

Kirby helped out with the event's livestream on Facebook.

"We were there to answer questions and take donations," she said. "It was a fun event, but it was an important one that helped raise a lot of money."

She was thrilled to recently find out the event raised $8,000 in donations.

"It was a good community booster. Everyone who went had a good time, and they knew they were helping out," Kirby said.

With those experiences under her belt, Kirby could go solely into the communications field, but professors in her education classes said she should consider being a teacher.

Combining both communications and education would be the best of both worlds, she said, while noting she has been enjoying a lot of her education classes.

"All of the professors in those classes have told me I should be a teacher," Kirby said. "People have told me that before, so I thought maybe I should get the ball rolling that way."

Whatever path she ends up on will add to her successes.

"She is an excellent teammate who always puts the success of a project above her own desires," Rhodes said. "These traits are going to help Dasha be successful no matter where the future takes her."

As for graduation, Kirby said she was looking forward to it.

"I'm looking forward to the accomplishment of I did it, I made it," she said.

Mirror Staff Writer Cati Keith can be reached at 814-946-7535.

The Kirby file

Name: Dayra "Dasha" Kirby. "My legal name is Darya, but everyone knows me by my nickname, Dasha. I was born in Russia, and it's equivalent to Samantha being Sam," she said.

Age: 22

Hometown: Summerhill

Education: Forest Hills High School graduate; Saint Francis University graduate; graduate assistant with SFU's Small Business Development Center

Degree: Bachelor's degree in communications with a minor in education

Hobbies: Socializing with friends, kayaking, fishing, swimming and sports

Family: Parents, Terri Kirby and Robert Kirby