Throughout elementary school and middle school I struggled with learning disabilities.  Having processing issues, ADD and dyslexia made my early years frustrating.  I went to PS24 for elementary school and in third grade I move to Stephen Gaynor Middle school on the Upper West Side.  Stephen Gaynor was an alternative school that exclusively accepted students with learning disabilities.  There I started to learn how to learn.  For high school, I went Churchill which was similar in vision to Stephen Gaynor just slightly more mainstream.  Churchill was where I grew into my adult self through my student involvement in sports, theater and student council. 

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College was a huge life changer for me. Getting involved in student organizing in college helped me to find a direction for this energy.  I learned that I can find my own place in the educational system and it does not need to be what everyone else is doing.  Struggling with my learning disability has changed my perspective on how we learn as a community.  I would say my disability is more of a learning ability because I had the chance to challenge myself in a unique way. 



As I leave college, I reflect on the sixteen years of educational experience I have, I cannot believe it has been that many years.  I am excited to embark on the next adventure where I will never stop learning. 

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