I have struggled with schooling my entire life. Early on, I was offered extra attention and support from teachers although it was never quite enough, I was able to achieve passing grades with the help of a daily afterschool tutor. During the summer before eighth grade, I found out I was dyslexic.
The word dyslexia scared me. I thought it was a nice way of saying that I was unintelligent. It also meant that I needed extra help in class and on homework. It sounded like the end of my social life. Every other student would know that I could not succeed on my own. I was embarrassed; I would be seen as the stupid kid, the one who was incapable of doing anything by herself. However, this was not the case. No one knew, and if they did, they didn't care.
During my freshman year, my grades improved, and I felt lighter, less stressed, and less anxious. Ace was what I had needed to feel smart all along. It taught me that learning differently doesn't make me dumb, it actually makes me smarter. It taught me to not give up and to work harder to accomplish the same goals as someone without a learning difference. Ace would look over my grades weekly. If I was behind on an assignment they knew; if I had an upcoming assessment, they knew. They kept track of everything and kept me on task. They also provided me with tools for success; how to study in a way that makes sense to me and how to handle getting overwhelmed with schoolwork. It was what I needed to reach my full potential.
Throughout all of my schooling, my hardest classes have been English and history due to the large amount of reading and writing that is required. When I read anything, I am unable to comprehend it the first time. I need to re-read something three or more times to fully understand. This causes me to take much longer than most students in my class. The trick I have found to help with this is to have an audiobook playing while following along and annotating in the book. When learning history I struggle most with remembering who was born when and who did what. I can recall the overall facts of what happened but the dates and names become all jumbled. I have found that recording lectures and taking handwritten notes help me the most. I continue to find tricks and tips to help me thrive. My dyslexia taught me that hard work is important for a successful future.
The largest hurdle I had to overcome is test-taking. It stems from my anxiety around my Dyslexia. I automatically get nervous. I think about every question that I am going to read incorrectly or mix up the answers to. However, I thrive on projects. I get to show off my creative and problem-solving side. This takes all the stress off of my Dyslexia and lets me use my differences to my advantage. I can come up with unique and unexpected ideas that tend to impress the teacher. I excel on individual projects as well as group projects where I tend to take the lead.
During my high school career, my grades skyrocketed. I went from all C’s and a few B’s throughout middle school to straight A’s. As a result of my perseverance I received acceptances to almost every school I applied to, academic scholarships, and best of all an acceptance to my dream school; Royal Holloway University of London. These achievements gave me confidence in my intelligence and I learned how to advocate for myself. I became unashamed of asking for help when I didn't understand. I am now a curious person who is excited to learn more; I am not the dumb kid who needs more attention. I am a young lady who knows how to learn and looks forward to continuing her education in university.