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At 22, Ryan McFaul is preparing for a major transition: leaving public education after years of building the skills and confidence to contribute in the workplace and his community.

Ryan enjoys music, basketball, jokes and sunglasses. He spends time on his phone, loves making friends laugh and rarely hesitates to introduce himself to someone new. His older brother, Justin, describes that outgoing streak as “charismatically devilish.”

Ryan was only a few weeks old when a routine checkup raised concerns about his development. Further evaluations led to a diagnosis of cerebral palsy. Doctors told his family that his future was uncertain and warned that he might not survive early childhood.

His mother, Nancie, chose to concentrate on Ryan’s potential, happiness and opportunities rather than those predictions. More than two decades later, she said he has exceeded every expectation with help from relatives, friends, educators, therapists, medical professionals and the surrounding community.

In June 2026, Ryan will complete a Fairfax County Public Schools journey that began in preschool and ends at the Davis Career Center. The center has helped both Ryan and his mother prepare for his next chapter.

“Fairfax County Public Schools didn’t just educate Ryan,” Nancie said. “It embraced our family, believed in his potential, and helped create opportunities we never imagined possible.”

A School Community Built Around Inclusion

Ryan entered preschool at age 3. Nancie initially struggled with sending him to school because she wanted more time with him, but a teacher soon reassured her that Ryan appeared eager to be there.

Over the years, she saw community support expressed through small but meaningful gestures. In first grade, for example, a classmate who earned a pizza lunch chose Ryan—another pizza fan—to join her.

For Nancie, inclusion can be as simple as students knowing Ryan’s name and greeting him in the hallway. Those everyday interactions helped him develop friendships and feel that he belonged.

“There’s a lot more compassion out there than we realize,” she said.

Nancie also encourages families to treat teachers as partners by communicating, collaborating and supporting their work. Throughout Ryan’s education, she said, he was never made to feel different or excluded.

Davis Career Center Principal Chad Clayton described Nancie as a committed partner who has pushed Ryan to advocate for himself, accept responsibility for his decisions and become a more independent, self-directed adult.

Nancie offered similar praise for the center’s staff, saying Clayton meets students at their individual starting points. Davis focuses on helping students communicate, make choices, advocate for themselves and apply practical skills in the community.

The school’s vision centers on achievement, vocation, independence and self-determination. Clayton said its programs are grounded in the belief that every person has the right to direct their own life and can create opportunities for productivity and success after leaving public education.

A Final-Year Challenge Leads to the Hyatt

About a year before Ryan’s departure, Clayton and Nancie discussed how to challenge him during his final year. Both agreed he was ready to take on more.

That conversation led to a placement with the Hyatt Tysons Corner team. Ryan worked in the kitchen and other parts of the hotel alongside employees, managers and guests.

He cleaned tables, rolled silverware and helped at the salad bar. The experience became his favorite part of attending Davis. He also enjoyed the relationships he developed at the hotel, whose staff invited Davis students to an employee holiday party in 2025.

“Ryan wants to be a contributor,” Nancie said.

As she searches for a day program for him after Davis, she is following his teachers’ advice to find an option that includes meaningful work. Ryan said he hopes to work at least some of the time, ideally in a position where he can use his hands, interact with others and help people.

Although leaving the school system means losing a familiar structure, Nancie said Davis staff have guided the family through the transition and provided tools she can continue using with Ryan.

Friendships That Will Continue After School

Ryan said he will miss his friends and teachers, including Davis career and transition teacher Andria Marshall.

“He’s a funny student and makes me laugh,” Marshall said.

Beyond learning employment and daily-living skills, Ryan participated in Special Olympics, Best Buddies and school dances. His connection to Davis will not end when he leaves: alumni are welcome at its dances, allowing him to return and visit friends and teachers.

Nancie said those activities and relationships have helped Ryan feel that his life is just like those of his siblings, Justin and Rachel.

Rachel calls Ryan her best friend and says he has “the biggest heart.” Justin is also among his strongest supporters—and Ryan’s influence has helped shape Justin’s career.

Ryan’s Example Inspires His Brother to Teach

After graduating from George Mason University, Justin began working as a special education instructional assistant at Bonnie Brae Elementary School. He believes Ryan played a significant role in leading him toward that work.

Justin had previously volunteered with his brother’s religion class and at Bible camp. Those experiences helped him recognize that working with children felt like a calling.

The job also brought him back to the school system he attended before graduating from Marshall High School. At Bonnie Brae, he works with kindergarteners and first graders, helping them try different learning strategies until they find an approach that works.

For Justin, watching a struggling student reach an “aha” moment is especially rewarding. He is working toward earning his teaching license, which he hopes to complete within the next year or so.

His inspirations include his mother and Jon Zirkle, known to the family as “Mr. Z,” a teacher at Stenwood Elementary School. When Ryan began attending Stenwood, Zirkle regularly greeted him and invited him into his classroom. Justin remembers wanting to offer children that same encouragement.

Above all, Justin remains inspired by his brother’s development.

Ryan, he said, demonstrates why children deserve patience, grace and opportunities to grow. His progress shows the importance of looking beyond where students are today and imagining who they may become with the right support.