Washtenaw Community College: Student Profile: Let's All Join Malia's Movement

Press release from Washtenaw Community College:

January 22, 2022

Malia Ellis fought through the burdens of embarrassment and isolation that a physical
disability can crudely place upon a young girl. So the 19-year-old Washtenaw Community
College student is on a mission to erase those burdens for future generations.

“You say the word ‘disability’ and that makes you think about what people can’t do,
but it doesn’t mean we’re less of a person,” says Ellis. “We don’t need to hide. Our
voices should be heard. We can do just as much as anyone else and our disability doesn’t
define us.”

Ellis has a rare condition called epidermal nevus syndrome, which caused severe scoliosis
at the onset of puberty. She went from a child who loved to dance and play sports
to having eight surgeries in as many years, resulting in a completely fused spine.

Physical therapy sessions helped her graduate from a wheelchair to a forearm crutch,
but they also exposed her to other kids that looked like her — which is when, Ellis
says, she realized that “because you may feel different doesn’t mean there aren’t
people who feel just like you.”

That ultimately led to the creation of Malia’s Movement, a website and social media accounts intended to bring Ellis’ own life to the public
eye in order to change perceptions about people with disabilities and inspire young
girls who have them.

In about one year, Ellis has attracted more than 146,000 followers on Tik-Tok (@MaliaEllis07), where she posts some raw and honest videos about living with a disability; but
primarily hits on popular topics on the app like make-up, beauty and fashion.

She says it’s all about wanting to be a role model to others who are going through
similar life experiences and reminding other disabled teens and young adults that
they’re not alone.

“Being a pre-teen when all this happened to me, I was hit really hard. I was embarrassed
because I didn’t see a lot of people who looked like me or were going through the
challenges I was going through,” Ellis said. “For a long time I was pretty depressed
and didn’t have any inspiration to get better. With Malia’s Movement, I want to inspire
others who think they’re alone in this world.”

Ellis will earn a General Studies Associate Degree from WCC in May and has completed the Michigan Transfer Agreement to meet the general education requirements at participating Michigan four-year colleges
and universities. 

Before transferring to pursue a bachelor’s degree, however, she plans to take a short
break to put all her efforts into Malia’s Movement for a while. If there’s a possibility
to turn educating and inspiring others into a career, it’s one she’s interested in
pursuing.

“It’s been quite a journey, but I really do love myself and am able to accept my changes,”
Ellis said. “I’m still not 100% in love with the way I look, but I can at least accept
who I am. Hopefully Malia’s Movement can help others reach that point, too.” l

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Along with Tik Tok, you can follow Malia’s Movement on Instagram (@maliasmovement) and at maliasmovement.com.

This press release was produced by Washtenaw Community College. The views expressed here are the author’s own.