I was diagnosed with autism and dyslexia when I was in Elementary School. It was a struggle to stay focused in such a large chaotic environment of public school and my grades were deteriorating. It was hard for me to make friends and I tended to sit alone at lunch and recess. I transferred to a private school for middle school and my teachers encouraged me to find my strengths and weaknesses. Social skills were a struggle for me so I joined the soccer team that was in desperate need of players. In our first game, I just stood in one place, only kicking the ball if it came right to me. I was intimidated to get close to other players so I wasn't much use. My teammates were always encouraging and positive and eventually, I started moving towards the ball. A few seasons later, our goalie got injured. I volunteered to step in and the next thing I knew I was making amazing plays. I played soccer from 5th grade to 12th grade and I will never forget celebrating with my teammates when we won the conference championship game my senior year. But I have to say the best reward I got from playing soccer was the person I have become. Winning was always fun but the spirit of sportsmanship encouraged me to join the golf and basketball team. As I made more friends, I developed the confidence to run for student honor court and represented my grade level. I started to understand the sense of community and how important it was to not only look out for yourself but to help others around you. There were no locks on the lockers, no one would steal other people's belongings. If you accidentally left your phone or other belongings in class, you could always find them in the lost and found. As I learned how to advocate for myself, my grades continued to improve. On breaks, I no longer needed to go to my teachers or other students for help and took pride in helping other students with their homework instead. I was starting to learn how to give constructive feedback to others but also be able to accept feedback and try to incorporate it into my interactions with other students and at home. Now on the sports field, I'm giving positive feedback and encouragement to the new players along with promoting sportsmanlike behavior. At school, I am always courteous to my teachers and classmates and help anyone who needs it. If I see someone sitting alone, I reach out and try and encourage them to join a team and make a point to introduce them to other classmates. I want to take what I've learned from my school community and apply that to college, my future job, and the neighborhood community. I've come a long way with my disabilities and understand that other people have their disabilities but if we all work together we can overcome them.

I was diagnosed with autism and dyslexia when I was in Elementary School. It was a struggle to stay focused in such a large chaotic environment of public school and my grades were deteriorating. It was hard for me to make friends and I tended to sit alone at lunch and recess. I transferred to a private school for middle school and my teachers encouraged me to find my strengths and weaknesses. Social skills were a struggle for me so I joined the golf team that was in desperate need of players. I have been playing golf with my family since I was 5 years old. It's still a great tradition that every Sunday we go play golf. It kept the family close and now I wanted to earn the same feeling from my school community. I always liked that golf allowed me to be in my own world playing, but I could still socialize with the others in the foursome walking between holes. I was able to compete against myself each week always trying to lower my score. Winning was always fun but the spirit of sportsmanship encouraged me to cheer on my teammates and to always congratulate the other team's players. As I made more friends, I developed the confidence to run for student honor court and represented my grade level. I started to understand the sense of community and how important it was to not only look out for yourself but to help others around you. There were no locks on the lockers, no one would steal other people's belongings. If you accidentally left your phone or other belongings in class, you could always find them in the lost and found. As I learned how to advocate for myself, my grades continued to improve. On breaks, I no longer needed to go to my teachers or other students for help and took pride in helping other students with their homework instead. I was starting to learn how to give constructive feedback to others but also be able to accept feedback and try to incorporate it into my interactions with other students and at home. Now on the golf course field, I'm giving positive feedback and encouragement to the new players along with promoting sportsmanlike behavior. At school, I am always courteous to my teachers and classmates and help anyone who needs it. If I see someone sitting alone, I reach out and try and encourage them to join a team and make a point to introduce them to other classmates. I want to take what I've learned from my school community and apply that to college, my future job, and the neighborhood community. I've come a long way with my disabilities and understand that other people have their disabilities but if we all work together we can overcome them.

I was diagnosed with autism and dyslexia when I was in Elementary School. It was a struggle to stay focused in such a large chaotic environment of public school and my grades were deteriorating. It was hard for me to make friends and I tended to sit alone at lunch and recess. I transferred to a private school for middle school and my teachers encouraged me to find my strengths and weaknesses. Social skills were a struggle for me so I joined the soccer team that was in desperate need of players. In our first game, I just stood in one place, only kicking the ball if it came right to me. My teammates were always encouraging and positive so I started moving towards the ball. Halfway through the season, our goalie got injured and everyone else was afraid of the ball. I volunteered to step in and the next thing I knew at the end of the year banquet I was awarded for best player and had so many new friends. Winning was always fun but the spirit of sportsmanship encouraged me to join the golf and basketball team. As I made more friends, I developed the confidence to run for student honor court and represented my grade level. I started to understand the sense of community and how important it was to not only look out for yourself but to help others around you. There were no locks on the lockers, no one would steal other people's belongings. If you accidentally left your phone or other belongings in class, you could always find them in the lost and found. As I learned how to advocate for myself, my grades continued to improve. On breaks, I no longer needed to go to my teachers or other students for help and took pride in helping other students with their homework instead. I was starting to learn how to give constructive feedback to others but also be able to accept feedback and try to incorporate it into my interactions with other students and at home. Now on the sports field, I'm giving positive feedback and encouragement to the new players along with promoting sportsmanlike behavior. At school, I am always courteous to my teachers and classmates and help anyone who needs it. If I see someone sitting alone, I reach out and try and encourage them to join a team and make a point to introduce them to other classmates. All through high school, I enjoyed taking challenging electives such as two AP computer science classes, engineering, and coding while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and I'm salutatorian of my class. I've been accepted to the University of North Georgia in the fall as a computer science major. After graduation, I hope to use my degree and help companies or people in the community with all their computer needs. I've always enjoyed being a problem solver and look forward to gathering information and communicating with computers using programming languages and logic to solve problems. New products all heavily rely on technology and I want to be able to develop new advances without compromising on privacy. Technology was able to open a whole new world to me when I was struggling with my learning disabilities and I want to make improvements for other children who have learning disabilities of their own.

I was diagnosed with autism and dyslexia when I was in Elementary School. It was a struggle to stay focused in such a large chaotic environment of public school and my grades were deteriorating. It was hard for me to make friends and I tended to sit alone at lunch and recess. I transferred to a private school for middle school and my teachers encouraged me to find my strengths and weaknesses. Social skills were a struggle for me so I joined the soccer team that was in desperate need of players. In our first game, I just stood in one place, only kicking the ball if it came right to me. My teammates were always encouraging and positive so I started moving towards the ball. Halfway through the season, our goalie got injured and everyone else was afraid of the ball. I volunteered to step in and the next thing I knew at the end of the year banquet I was awarded for best player and had so many new friends. Winning was always fun but the spirit of sportsmanship encouraged me to join the golf and basketball team. As I made more friends, I developed the confidence to run for student honor court and represented my grade level. I started to understand the sense of community and how important it was to not only look out for yourself but to help others around you. There were no locks on the lockers, no one would steal other people's belongings. If you accidentally left your phone or other belongings in class, you could always find them in the lost and found. As I learned how to advocate for myself, my grades continued to improve. On breaks, I no longer needed to go to my teachers or other students for help and took pride in helping other students with their homework instead. I was starting to learn how to give constructive feedback to others but also be able to accept feedback and try to incorporate it into my interactions with other students and at home. Now on the sports field, I'm giving positive feedback and encouragement to the new players along with promoting sportsmanlike behavior. At school, I am always courteous to my teachers and classmates and help anyone who needs it. If I see someone sitting alone, I reach out and try and encourage them to join a team and make a point to introduce them to other classmates. All through high school, I enjoyed taking challenging electives such as two AP computer science classes, engineering, and coding while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and I'm salutatorian of my class. I've been accepted to the University of North Georgia in the fall as a computer science major. After graduation, I hope to use my degree and help companies or people in the community with all their computer needs. I've always enjoyed being a problem solver and look forward to gathering information and communicating with computers using programming languages and logic to solve problems. New products all heavily rely on technology and I want to be able to develop new advances without compromising on privacy. Technology was able to open a whole new world to me when I was struggling with my learning disabilities and I want to make improvements for other children who have learning disabilities of their own.

I was diagnosed with autism and dyslexia when I was in Elementary School. It was a struggle to stay focused in such a large chaotic environment of public school and my grades were deteriorating. It was hard for me to make friends and I tended to sit alone at lunch and recess. I transferred to a private school for middle school and my teachers encouraged me to find my strengths and weaknesses. Social skills were a struggle for me so I joined the soccer team that was in desperate need of players. In our first game, I just stood in one place, only kicking the ball if it came right to me. My teammates were always encouraging and positive so I started moving towards the ball. Halfway through the season, our goalie got injured and everyone else was afraid of the ball. I volunteered to step in and the next thing I knew at the end of the year banquet I was awarded for best player and had so many new friends. Winning was always fun but the spirit of sportsmanship encouraged me to join the golf and basketball team. As I made more friends, I developed the confidence to run for student honor court and represented my grade level. I started to understand the sense of community and how important it was to not only look out for yourself but to help others around you. There were no locks on the lockers, no one would steal other people's belongings. If you accidentally left your phone or other belongings in class, you could always find them in the lost and found. As I learned how to advocate for myself, my grades continued to improve. On breaks, I no longer needed to go to my teachers or other students for help and took pride in helping other students with their homework instead. I was starting to learn how to give constructive feedback to others but also be able to accept feedback and try to incorporate it into my interactions with other students and at home. Now on the sports field, I'm giving positive feedback and encouragement to the new players along with promoting sportsmanlike behavior. At school, I am always courteous to my teachers and classmates and help anyone who needs it. If I see someone sitting alone, I reach out and try and encourage them to join a team and make a point to introduce them to other classmates. All through high school, I enjoyed taking challenging electives such as two AP computer science classes, engineering, and coding while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and I'm salutatorian of my class. I've been accepted to the University of North Georgia in the fall as a computer science major. After graduation, I hope to use my degree and help companies or people in the community with all their computer needs. I've always enjoyed being a problem solver and look forward to gathering information and communicating with computers using programming languages and logic to solve problems. New products all heavily rely on technology and I want to be able to develop new advances without compromising on privacy. Technology was able to open a whole new world to me when I was struggling with my learning disabilities and I want to make improvements for other children who have learning disabilities of their own. I'm nervous about living on campus but the first thing I'm going to do is sign up for recreational sports. It will be a great way to stay fit and meet new people in an unfamiliar environment.

I was diagnosed with autism and dyslexia when I was in Elementary School. It was a struggle to stay focused in such a large chaotic environment of public school and my grades were deteriorating. It was hard for me to make friends and I tended to sit alone at lunch and recess. I transferred to a private school for middle school and my teachers encouraged me to find my strengths and weaknesses. Social skills were a struggle for me so I joined the soccer team that was in desperate need of players. In our first game, I just stood in one place, only kicking the ball if it came right to me. My teammates were always encouraging and positive so I started moving towards the ball. Halfway through the season, our goalie got injured and everyone else was afraid of the ball. I volunteered to step in and the next thing I knew at the end of the year banquet I was awarded for best player and had so many new friends. Winning was always fun but the spirit of sportsmanship encouraged me to join the golf and basketball team. As I made more friends, I developed the confidence to run for student honor court and represented my grade level. I started to understand the sense of community and how important it was to not only look out for yourself but to help others around you. There were no locks on the lockers, no one would steal other people's belongings. If you accidentally left your phone or other belongings in class, you could always find them in the lost and found. As I learned how to advocate for myself, my grades continued to improve. On breaks, I no longer needed to go to my teachers or other students for help and took pride in helping other students with their homework instead. I was starting to learn how to give constructive feedback to others but also be able to accept feedback and try to incorporate it into my interactions with other students and at home. Now on the sports field, I'm giving positive feedback and encouragement to the new players along with promoting sportsmanlike behavior. At school, I am always courteous to my teachers and classmates and help anyone who needs it. If I see someone sitting alone, I reach out and try and encourage them to join a team and make a point to introduce them to other classmates. All through high school, I enjoyed taking challenging electives such as two AP computer science classes, engineering, and coding while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and I'm salutatorian of my class. I've been accepted to the University of North Georgia in the fall as a computer science major. I plan on joining several recreational sports to stay fit and to meet new people. It will also help me to manage the stress of being away from home in an unfamiliar environment and with new academic challenges.

I was diagnosed with autism and dyslexia when I was in Elementary School. It was a struggle to stay focused in such a large chaotic environment of public school and my grades were deteriorating. It was hard for me to make friends and I tended to sit alone at lunch and recess. I transferred to a private school for middle school and my teachers encouraged me to find my strengths and weaknesses. Social skills were a struggle for me so I joined the soccer team that was in desperate need of players. In our first game, I just stood in one place, only kicking the ball if it came right to me. My teammates were always encouraging and positive so I started moving towards the ball. Halfway through the season, our goalie got injured and everyone else was afraid of the ball. I volunteered to step in and the next thing I knew at the end of the year banquet I was awarded for best player and had so many new friends. Winning was always fun but the spirit of sportsmanship encouraged me to join the golf and basketball team. As I made more friends, I developed the confidence to run for student honor court and represented my grade level. I started to understand the sense of community and how important it was to not only look out for yourself but to help others around you. There were no locks on the lockers, no one would steal other people's belongings. If you accidentally left your phone or other belongings in class, you could always find them in the lost and found. As I learned how to advocate for myself, my grades continued to improve. On breaks, I no longer needed to go to my teachers or other students for help and took pride in helping other students with their homework instead. I was starting to learn how to give constructive feedback to others but also be able to accept feedback and try to incorporate it into my interactions with other students and at home. Now on the sports field, I'm giving positive feedback and encouragement to the new players along with promoting sportsmanlike behavior. At school, I am always courteous to my teachers and classmates and help anyone who needs it. If I see someone sitting alone, I reach out and try and encourage them to join a team and make a point to introduce them to other classmates. All through high school, I enjoyed taking challenging electives such as two AP computer science classes, engineering and coding while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and I'm salutatorian of my class. Technology was able to open a whole new world to me when I was struggling with my learning disabilities and I want to make improvements for other children who have learning disabilities of their own. Finding a healthy balance of sports and academics has allowed me to improve both mentally and socially while also staying fit.

I was diagnosed with autism and dyslexia when I was in Elementary School. It was a struggle to stay focused in such a large chaotic environment of public school and my grades were deteriorating. It was hard for me to make friends and I tended to sit alone at lunch and recess. I transferred to a private school for middle school and my teachers encouraged me to find my strengths and weaknesses. Social skills were a struggle for me so I joined the soccer team that was in desperate need of players. In our first game, I just stood in one place, only kicking the ball if it came right to me. My teammates were always encouraging and positive so I started moving towards the ball. Halfway through the season, our goalie got injured and everyone else was afraid of the ball. I volunteered to step in and the next thing I knew at the end of the year banquet I was awarded for best player and had so many new friends. Winning was always fun but the spirit of sportsmanship encouraged me to join the golf and basketball team. As I made more friends, I developed the confidence to run for student honor court and represented my grade level. I started to understand the sense of community and how important it was to not only look out for yourself but to help others around you. There were no locks on the lockers, no one would steal other people's belongings. If you accidentally left your phone or other belongings in class, you could always find them in the lost and found. As I learned how to advocate for myself, my grades continued to improve. On breaks, I no longer needed to go to my teachers or other students for help and took pride in helping other students with their homework instead. I was starting to learn how to give constructive feedback to others but also be able to accept feedback and try to incorporate it into my interactions with other students and at home. Now on the sports field, I'm giving positive feedback and encouragement to the new players along with promoting sportsmanlike behavior. At school, I am always courteous to my teachers and classmates and help anyone who needs it. If I see someone sitting alone, I reach out and try and encourage them to join a team and make a point to introduce them to other classmates. All through high school, I enjoyed taking challenging electives such as two AP computer science classes, engineering, and coding while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and I'm salutatorian of my class. I've been accepted to the University of North Georgia in the fall as a computer science major. After graduation, I hope to use my degree and help companies or people in the community with all their computer needs. I've always enjoyed being a problem solver and look forward to gathering information and communicating with computers using programming languages and logic to solve problems. New products all heavily rely on technology and I want to be able to develop new advances without compromising on privacy. Technology was able to open a whole new world to me when I was struggling with my learning disabilities and I want to make improvements for other children who have learning disabilities of their own.

I was diagnosed with autism and dyslexia when I was in Elementary School. It was a struggle to stay focused in such a large chaotic environment of public school and my grades were deteriorating. It was hard for me to make friends and I tended to sit alone at lunch and recess. My parents got divorced and I lived with my mother full time. She transferred me to a private school for middle school and my teachers encouraged me to find my strengths and weaknesses. Social skills were a struggle for me so I joined the soccer team that was in desperate need of players. In our first game, I just stood in one place, only kicking the ball if it came right to me. My teammates were always encouraging and positive so I started moving towards the ball. Halfway through the season, our goalie got injured and everyone else was afraid of the ball. I volunteered to step in and the next thing I knew at the end of the year banquet I was awarded for best player and had so many new friends. Winning was always fun but the spirit of sportsmanship encouraged me to join the golf and basketball team. As I made more friends, I developed the confidence to run for student honor court and represented my grade level. I started to understand the sense of community and how important it was to not only look out for yourself but to help others around you. There were no locks on the lockers, no one would steal other people's belongings. If you accidentally left your phone or other belongings in class, you could always find them in the lost and found. As I learned how to advocate for myself, my grades continued to improve. On breaks, I no longer needed to go to my teachers or other students for help and took pride in helping other students with their homework instead. I was starting to learn how to give constructive feedback to others but also be able to accept feedback and try to incorporate it into my interactions with other students and at home. Now on the sports field, I'm giving positive feedback and encouragement to the new players along with promoting sportsmanlike behavior. At school, I am always courteous to my teachers and classmates and help anyone who needs it. If I see someone sitting alone, I reach out and try and encourage them to join a team and make a point to introduce them to other classmates. All through high school, I enjoyed taking challenging electives such as two AP computer science classes, engineering, and coding while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and I'm salutatorian of my class. I've been accepted to the University of North Georgia in the fall as a computer science major. After graduation, I hope to use my degree and help companies or people in the community with all their computer needs. I've always enjoyed being a problem solver and look forward to gathering information and communicating with computers using programming languages and logic to solve problems. New products all heavily rely on technology and I want to be able to develop new advances without compromising on privacy. Technology was able to open a whole new world to me when I was struggling with my learning disabilities and I want to make improvements for other children who have learning disabilities of their own.

I was diagnosed with autism and dyslexia when I was in Elementary School. It was a struggle to stay focused in such a large chaotic environment of public school and my grades were deteriorating. It was hard for me to make friends and I tended to sit alone at lunch and recess. I transferred to a private school for middle school and my teachers encouraged me to find my strengths and weaknesses. Social skills were a struggle for me so I joined the soccer team that was in desperate need of players. In our first game, I just stood in one place, only kicking the ball if it came right to me. My teammates were always encouraging and positive so I started moving towards the ball. Halfway through the season, our goalie got injured and everyone else was afraid of the ball. I volunteered to step in and the next thing I knew at the end of the year banquet I was awarded for best player and had so many new friends. Winning was always fun but the spirit of sportsmanship encouraged me to join the golf and basketball team. As I made more friends, I developed the confidence to run for student honor court and represented my grade level. I started to understand the sense of community and how important it was to not only look out for yourself but to help others around you. There were no locks on the lockers, no one would steal other people's belongings. If you accidentally left your phone or other belongings in class, you could always find them in the lost and found. As I learned how to advocate for myself, my grades continued to improve. On breaks, I no longer needed to go to my teachers or other students for help and took pride in helping other students with their homework instead. I was starting to learn how to give constructive feedback to others but also be able to accept feedback and try to incorporate it into my interactions with other students and at home. Now on the sports field, I'm giving positive feedback and encouragement to the new players along with promoting sportsmanlike behavior. At school, I am always courteous to my teachers and classmates and help anyone who needs it. If I see someone sitting alone, I reach out and try and encourage them to join a team and make a point to introduce them to other classmates. All through high school, I enjoyed taking challenging electives such as two AP computer science classes, engineering, and coding while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and I'm salutatorian of my class. I've been accepted to the University of North Georgia in the fall as a computer science major. After graduation, I hope to use my degree and help companies or people in the community with all their computer needs. I've always enjoyed being a problem solver and look forward to gathering information and communicating with computers using programming languages and logic to solve problems. New products all heavily rely on technology and I want to be able to develop new advances without compromising on privacy. Technology was able to open a whole new world to me when I was struggling with my learning disabilities and I want to make improvements for other children who have learning disabilities of their own.

I was diagnosed with autism and dyslexia when I was in Elementary School. It was a struggle to stay focused in such a large chaotic environment of public school and my grades were deteriorating. It was hard for me to make friends and I tended to sit alone at lunch and recess. I transferred to a private school for middle school and my teachers encouraged me to find my strengths and weaknesses. Social skills were a struggle for me so I joined the soccer team that was in desperate need of players. In our first game, I just stood in one place, only kicking the ball if it came right to me. My teammates were always encouraging and positive so I started moving towards the ball. Halfway through the season, our goalie got injured and everyone else was afraid of the ball. I volunteered to step in and the next thing I knew at the end of the year banquet I was awarded for best player and had so many new friends. Winning was always fun but the spirit of sportsmanship encouraged me to join the golf and basketball team. As I made more friends, I developed the confidence to run for student honor court and represented my grade level. I started to understand the sense of community and how important it was to not only look out for yourself but to help others around you. There were no locks on the lockers, no one would steal other people's belongings. If you accidentally left your phone or other belongings in class, you could always find them in the lost and found. As I learned how to advocate for myself, my grades continued to improve. On breaks, I no longer needed to go to my teachers or other students for help and took pride in helping other students with their homework instead. I was starting to learn how to give constructive feedback to others but also be able to accept feedback and try to incorporate it into my interactions with other students and at home. Now on the sports field, I'm giving positive feedback and encouragement to the new players along with promoting sportsmanlike behavior. At school, I am always courteous to my teachers and classmates and help anyone who needs it. If I see someone sitting alone, I reach out and try and encourage them to join a team and make a point to introduce them to other classmates. All through high school, I enjoyed taking challenging electives such as two AP computer science classes, engineering, and coding while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and I'm salutatorian of my class. I've been accepted to the University of North Georgia in the fall as a computer science major. After graduation, I hope to use my degree and help companies or people in the community with all their computer needs. I've always enjoyed being a problem solver and look forward to gathering information and communicating with computers using programming languages and logic to solve problems. New products all heavily rely on technology and I want to be able to develop new advances without compromising on privacy. Technology was able to open a whole new world to me when I was struggling with my learning disabilities and I want to make improvements for other children who have learning disabilities of their own.

I was diagnosed with autism and dyslexia when I was in Elementary School. It was a struggle to stay focused in such a large chaotic environment of public school and my grades were deteriorating. It was hard for me to make friends and I tended to sit alone at lunch and recess. I transferred to a private school for middle school and my teachers encouraged me to find my strengths and weaknesses. Social skills were a struggle for me so I joined the soccer team that was in desperate need of players. In our first game, I just stood in one place, only kicking the ball if it came right to me. My teammates were always encouraging and positive so I started moving towards the ball. Halfway through the season, our goalie got injured and everyone else was afraid of the ball. I volunteered to step in and the next thing I knew at the end of the year banquet I was awarded for best player and had so many new friends. Winning was always fun but the spirit of sportsmanship encouraged me to join the golf and basketball team. As I made more friends, I developed the confidence to run for student honor court and represented my grade level. I started to understand the sense of community and how important it was to not only look out for yourself but to help others around you. There were no locks on the lockers, no one would steal other people's belongings. If you accidentally left your phone or other belongings in class, you could always find them in the lost and found. As I learned how to advocate for myself, my grades continued to improve. On breaks, I no longer needed to go to my teachers or other students for help and took pride in helping other students with their homework instead. I was starting to learn how to give constructive feedback to others but also be able to accept feedback and try to incorporate it into my interactions with other students and at home. Now on the sports field, I'm giving positive feedback and encouragement to the new players along with promoting sportsmanlike behavior. At school, I am always courteous to my teachers and classmates and help anyone who needs it. If I see someone sitting alone, I reach out and try and encourage them to join a team and make a point to introduce them to other classmates. All through high school, I enjoyed taking challenging electives such as two computer science classes, engineering, and coding while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and I'm salutatorian of my class. I've been accepted to the University of North Georgia in the fall as a computer science major. After graduation, I hope to use my degree and help companies or people in the community with all their computer needs. I've always enjoyed being a problem solver and look forward to gathering information and communicating with computers using programming languages and logic to solve problems. New products all heavily rely on technology and I want to be able to develop new advances without compromising on privacy. Technology was able to open a whole new world to me when I was struggling with my learning disabilities and I want to make improvements for other children who have learning disabilities of their own.

I was diagnosed with autism and dyslexia when I was in Elementary School. It was a struggle to stay focused in such a large chaotic environment of public school and my grades were deteriorating. It was hard for me to make friends and I tended to sit alone at lunch and recess. I transferred to a private school for middle school and my teachers encouraged me to find my strengths and weaknesses. Social skills were a struggle for me so I joined the soccer team that was in desperate need of players. In our first game, I just stood in one place, only kicking the ball if it came right to me. My teammates were always encouraging and positive so I started moving towards the ball. Halfway through the season, our goalie got injured and everyone else was afraid of the ball. I volunteered to step in and the next thing I knew at the end of the year banquet I was awarded for best player and had so many new friends. Winning was always fun but the spirit of sportsmanship encouraged me to join the golf and basketball team. As I made more friends, I developed the confidence to run for student honor court and represented my grade level. I started to understand the sense of community and how important it was to not only look out for yourself but to help others around you. There were no locks on the lockers, no one would steal other people's belongings. If you accidentally left your phone or other belongings in class, you could always find them in the lost and found. As I learned how to advocate for myself, my grades continued to improve. On breaks, I no longer needed to go to my teachers or other students for help and took pride in helping other students with their homework instead. I was starting to learn how to give constructive feedback to others but also be able to accept feedback and try to incorporate it into my interactions with other students and at home. Now on the sports field, I'm giving positive feedback and encouragement to the new players along with promoting sportsmanlike behavior. At school, I am always courteous to my teachers and classmates and help anyone who needs it. If I see someone sitting alone, I reach out and try and encourage them to join a team and make a point to introduce them to other classmates. All through high school, I enjoyed taking challenging electives such as two AP computer science classes, engineering, and coding while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and I'm salutatorian of my class. I've been accepted to the University of North Georgia in the fall as a computer science major. After graduation, I hope to use my degree and help companies or people in the community with all their computer needs. I've always enjoyed being a problem solver and look forward to gathering information and communicating with computers using programming languages and logic to solve problems. New products all heavily rely on technology and I want to be able to develop new advances without compromising on privacy. Technology was able to open a whole new world to me when I was struggling with my learning disabilities and I want to make improvements for other children who have learning disabilities of their own.

I was diagnosed with autism and dyslexia when I was in Elementary School. It was a struggle to stay focused in such a large chaotic environment of public school and my grades were deteriorating. It was hard for me to make friends and I tended to sit alone at lunch and recess. I transferred to a private school for middle school and my teachers encouraged me to find my strengths and weaknesses. Social skills were a struggle for me so I joined the soccer team that was in desperate need of players. In our first game, I just stood in one place, only kicking the ball if it came right to me. My teammates were always encouraging and positive so I started moving towards the ball. Halfway through the season, our goalie got injured and everyone else was afraid of the ball. I volunteered to step in and the next thing I knew at the end of the year banquet I was awarded for best player and had so many new friends. Winning was always fun but the spirit of sportsmanship encouraged me to join the golf and basketball team. As I made more friends, I developed the confidence to run for student honor court and represented my grade level. I started to understand the sense of community and how important it was to not only look out for yourself but to help others around you. There were no locks on the lockers, no one would steal other people's belongings. If you accidentally left your phone or other belongings in class, you could always find them in the lost and found. As I learned how to advocate for myself, my grades continued to improve. On breaks, I no longer needed to go to my teachers or other students for help and took pride in helping other students with their homework instead. I was starting to learn how to give constructive feedback to others but also be able to accept feedback and try to incorporate it into my interactions with other students and at home. Now on the sports field, I'm giving positive feedback and encouragement to the new players along with promoting sportsmanlike behavior. At school, I am always courteous to my teachers and classmates and help anyone who needs it. If I see someone sitting alone, I reach out and try and encourage them to join a team and make a point to introduce them to other classmates. All through high school, I enjoyed taking challenging electives such as two AP computer science classes, engineering and coding while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and I'm salutatorian of my class. I've been accepted to the University of North Georgia in the fall as a computer science major. After graduation, I hope to use my degree and help companies or people in the community with all their computer needs. I've always enjoyed being a problem solver and look forward to gathering information and communicating with computers using programming languages and logic to solve problems. New products all heavily rely on technology and I want to be able to develop new advances without compromising on privacy. Technology was able to open a whole new world to me when I was struggling with my learning disabilities and I want to make improvements for other children who have learning disabilities of their own.

I was diagnosed with autism and dyslexia when I was in Elementary School. It was a struggle to stay focused in such a large chaotic environment of public school and my grades were deteriorating. It was hard for me to make friends and I tended to sit alone at lunch and recess. I transferred to a private school for middle school and my teachers encouraged me to find my strengths and weaknesses. Physically writing was always difficult for me due to my low muscle tone, so I was encouraged to use a laptop. Auditory software helped with my dyslexia and I could dictate or type in the laptop that didn't hurt my hand. My grades improved dramatically and my love for technology developed. Being able to socialize over video games brought me out of isolation and I started making friends. After gaming for several hours, we also started meeting at the park and throwing a football or just hanging out. Math has always been my favorite subject and after discovering Khan Academy, I taught myself pre-algebra and algebra over the summer. I was so far ahead, I jumped an entire math grade level and took honors algebra in 7th grade. In 8th grade, I was able to walk to the upper school and take honors geometry. Now in my senior year in high school, I was able to dual enroll at the University of North Georgia for Calculus. Meanwhile, I've been taking computers apart and rebuilding and took AP computer science as a junior and I'm currently enrolled in another AP computer science class as a senior. All through high school, I enjoyed taking challenging electives such as computer science but also engineering and coding while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and I'm salutatorian of my class. I've been accepted to the University of North Georgia in the fall as a computer science major. After graduation, I hope to use my degree and help companies or people in the community with all their computer needs. I've always enjoyed being a problem solver and look forward to gathering information and communicating with computers using programming languages and logic to solve problems. New products all heavily rely on technology and I want to be able to develop new advances without compromising on privacy. Technology was able to open a whole new world to me when I was struggling with my learning disabilities and I want to make improvements for other children who have learning disabilities of their own.

I was diagnosed with autism and dyslexia when I was in Elementary School. It was a struggle to stay focused in such a large chaotic environment of public school and my grades were deteriorating. It was hard for me to make friends and I tended to sit alone at lunch and recess. I transferred to a private school for middle school and my teachers encouraged me to find my strengths and weaknesses. Social skills were a struggle for me so I joined the soccer team that was in desperate need of players. In our first game, I just stood in one place, only kicking the ball if it came right to me. My teammates were always encouraging and positive so I started moving towards the ball. Halfway through the season, our goalie got injured and everyone else was afraid of the ball. I volunteered to step in and the next thing I knew at the end of the year banquet I was awarded for best player and had so many new friends. Winning was always fun but the spirit of sportsmanship encouraged me to join the golf and basketball team. As I made more friends, I developed the confidence to run for student honor court and represented my grade level. I started to understand the sense of community and how important it was to not only look out for yourself but to help others around you. There were no locks on the lockers, no one would steal other people's belongings. If you accidentally left your phone or other belongings in class, you could always find them in the lost and found. As I learned how to advocate for myself, my grades continued to improve. On breaks, I no longer needed to go to my teachers or other students for help and took pride in helping other students with their homework instead. I was starting to learn how to give constructive feedback to others but also be able to accept feedback and try to incorporate it into my interactions with other students and at home. Now on the sports field, I'm giving positive feedback and encouragement to the new players along with promoting sportsmanlike behavior. At school, I am always courteous to my teachers and classmates and help anyone who needs it. If I see someone sitting alone, I reach out and try and encourage them to join a team and make a point to introduce them to other classmates. I want to take what I've learned from my school community and apply that to college, my future job, and the neighborhood community. I've come a long way with my disabilities and understand that other people have their disabilities but if we all work together we can overcome them.