The moments that have defined my experiences and identity occurred on a perfectly ordinary day. I was six when I was diagnosed with dyslexia, a disorder characterized by reading and spelling difficulties. That summer, I spent hours learning to read. Over the next five years, I worked for over six hours per week in and outside of class to improve my reading. Persevering through reading, I learned what it meant to be tenacious. When it was clear, however, that I had reached my reading limit, my school introduced me to text-to-speech software. This did little for my self-esteem. In schools devoted to paper handouts, my text-to-speech was a mortifying outlier. If I didn’t refuse to get out my software altogether, I would unsuccessfully hide my computer under my desk. I hated being so obviously different, and I couldn’t stand feeling stupid. It took years to overcome my embarrassment, but I gradually began to embrace my disability. I now use assistive technology for everything and advocate for disability pride. However, the real battle wasn’t the dyslexic barriers but overcoming them alone. I had my parents' and teacher’s support, but I never had someone who shared the same experiences. Disabled students in education are often outnumbered; most students I knew were neurotypical. To make matters worse, I was one of the only students who depended on text-to-speech. When I joined an after-school science program called the University Interscholastic League, I was the first and only person with assistive technology during district competitions. The most glaring difference, however, was in honors and AP classes. I fought my school and my disability to join these classes, and when I got there, there were almost no other learning-disabled or text-to-speech using students. Students who could have thrived in these classes didn’t have access, early diagnosis, or the support they needed, and were therefore underrepresented. I always felt like an outsider in these classes, that I didn’t belong. As an underrepresented student, I want to support others who are unrepresented. I’ve volunteered in student representative councils, the Hunger Project, and in life skills classrooms. I decided to study neuroscience to continue to help the underrepresented disability community. I plan to study disabilities to improve awareness and diagnosis of them. Additionally, I plan to use my degree to improve school systems, helping teachers discover the best support systems for neurodiverse students to learn and grow. Finally, I am working to create more representation of neurotypical perspectives within the field of neuroscience; I’m currently collaborating with a professor at RIT to determine if neurodiverse advantages can improve software systems like neural networks. I hope to continue this disability advocacy in my major and research. If I were picked for his opportunity, I could continue my plans to support underrepresented disabled communities. My disability is a cherished part of my identity, but it has challenges. Managing my accommodations in college is a full-time job. I’m responsible for coordinating my accommodations, including scheduling extended tests and requesting accessible formats. Preparing and utilizing these accommodations takes extra time. For instance, classes require textbook reading. Listening to text using text-to-speech software is two or three times longer than for neurotypical readers. Dyslexia makes scheduling dates and times challenging, yet managing my accommodations requires me to schedule extensions on tests. These struggles to manage and use my accommodations take time, which I could use in a job to pay for college expenses. With the help of financial support from scholarships, I could direct my time towards navigating my accommodations, schoolwork, and supporting the disability community.

The story I want to tell begins with my experiences, not my diagnosis. My dyslexic experiences have shaped my life, defining my strongest connections and most meaningful successes. Even before my diagnosis, I shared dyslexic experiences with my mom, who is also dyslexic. I remember her turning sight words into target practice to help me overcome my early reading struggles. Later, we discovered audiobooks together, sharing our favorite narrators, and starting a mother-daughter dyslexic audiobooks club. Through dyslexia, I’ve also made friends in the disability community. I met one of my best friends through our shared use of text-to-speech software. Now, we often debate our favorite software and narrator voices. Despite having completely different disabilities, I always feel seen and understood when I talk with them. I’ve also found belonging in the Deaf community, which introduced me to disability pride and culture. I began learning American Sign Language (ASL) because, with no written language, it didn’t require me to read. Beyond building close friendships through ASL, the Deaf community encouraged me to embrace my disability identity and celebrate my differences. These connections are a part of me, and they wouldn’t exist without my dyslexia. Dyslexia still poses obstacles; I’ve spent five years in reading tutoring and nine years using assistive technology. However, my triumph over these obstacles is made meaningful by the struggle. When I started using text-to-speech software, I was so embarrassed that I hid my technology under my desk and even refused to use it. When I competed in the Science University Interscholastic League, I was the first and only student in my region to use assistive technology. During the competition, I didn’t hide my accommodations, using them openly. It remains one of my proudest moments, not for advancing to districts, but because I competed as unapologetically dyslexic. Additionally, I confuse dates and times, transcribe them wrong, and miss major events. Now, however, I serve as event coordinator for a disabled advocacy student organization. Dyslexia makes scheduling meetings and events challenging, but this struggle made each success in the position a profound accomplishment. Each triumph over my disability’s obstacles has become sweeter because of the difficulties behind them. To me, college is a chance to prove that my learning difference does not define what I can accomplish. By attending higher education, I show myself and others that my disability’s challenges cannot prevent me from succeeding. Rather, it is my opportunity to use the strengths cultivated by my dyslexic obstacles. Majoring in neuroscience, I am working to celebrate, create awareness for, and support the neurodiverse community. In my first year, I’ve begun to highlight the unique cognitive advantages of neurodiversity in research. I’m currently collaborating with a professor at RIT to determine if neurodiverse advantages can improve software systems like neural networks. I hope to continue this disability advocacy in my major and research. Managing my accommodations in college is a full-time job; I’m responsible for coordinating my accommodations, including adapting them to classroom settings, scheduling extended tests, and requesting accessible formats. Preparing and utilizing these accommodations takes extra time. For instance, classes require textbook reading, which is challenging for me, as listening to text is two or three times longer than for neurotypical readers. Dyslexia makes scheduling dates and times challenging, yet managing my accommodations requires me to schedule extensions on tests. These struggles to manage and use my accommodations take time, which I could use in a job to pay for college expenses. With the help of financial support from scholarships, I could direct my time towards navigating my accommodations, schoolwork, and supporting the disability community.

When I was six, I was diagnosed with dyslexia. Since then, my dyslexia has been essential to my identity. My dyslexic experiences made me the persistent, advocating, neurodiverse proud person I am today. Overcoming the obstacles of a learning difference has made me tenacious. Even with text-to-speech software accommodations, assignments, and homework take twice as long to finish simply because silently reading is faster than my software. This makes school a marathon for me. Hour tests become two-hour endeavors; my SAT took two days simply because the extended time wouldn't fit in a school day. However, these dyslexic obstacles have cultivated my endurance to become a part of me. My dyslexic experiences developed my advocacy, making me a supportive leader. As a learning different student, I constantly advocate for my accommodations, even when other teachers don't. There have been instances where teachers labeled me as lazy and dismissed my accommodation. I've stood up for myself each time, asserting my need for accommodations. I advocate for others, too. In high school, I stood up for a student who was denied proper testing accommodations. These experiences led me to a position on the Superintendent's Student Advisory, where I've become a leader in learning difference advocacy. My dyslexic experiences have also brought unexpected opportunities to celebrate my differences. Learning to read a second language would reverse years of work to improve my English reading proficiency. In this dilemma, I discovered American Sign Language (ASL), a language without written form. Through ASL, I learned of the deaf community's unapologetic pride in deafness. Deaf culture openly celebrates their differences as unique perspectives. This experience inspired me to be proud of and open about my neurodiverse differences. This pride and celebration of neurodiversity has become a significant part of my identity. For me, college is a chance to prove that my learning difference doesn't define what I can accomplish. After persevering through my dyslexic hurdles in high school, I'm ready to take on new challenges. College is my opportunity to use the strengths I acquired from dyslexic obstacles to graduate with a degree. College is also where I hope to support neurodiverse induviduals. With a college degree in neuroscience, I want to create awareness for, celebrate the unique differences of, and support accommodations for the neurodiverse community. In college, I want to use visual simulations to research and highlight the unique cognitive advantages of neurodiversity. Using this neuroscience research to create awareness of diverse abilities and benefits, I aim to assist communities in celebrating these neurodiverse differences. I also hope to support and improve accommodations. Applying neuroscience research, I could enhance neurodiversity testing and fine-tune technology accommodations to neurodiverse needs. As soon as I saw Dylan's story, I felt an instant connection. Dylan fought all his life to prove that a disability isn't a limitation but an opportunity to shine under struggle. Like him, I've fought against my disability's obstacles to reach my goals. Like Dylan, I want to create awareness for different abilities, showing others that my disability's challenges don't prevent me from succeeding. However, like Dylan, I need a way to support my education through accommodations. I currently manage and advocate for my IEP (Individualized Educational Program). Supporting my accommodations is a full-time job. They require extra time to prepare and use. For instance, it takes time to schedule and take extended testing time. Many students use this additional time to work and pay for some college expenses. If I were to have financial support from scholarships, I wouldn't have to worry about finding time to support my accommodations.

I will always be dyslexic. This part of my brain will not change, but that may be good. Dyslexia has inspired me to study the aspects of my brain. By studying neuroscience through an undergraduate and graduate program, I aim to create awareness for the neurodiverse community, celebrate the unique advantages of neurodiversity, and support neurodivergent education through accommodations. Society often focuses on a disability's detriments rather than its unique strengths. Majoring in neuroscience would be my way to build my understanding of dyslexia's advantages and disadvantages. By researching cognitive functions through visual simulations, I would have the opportunity to highlight diverse neurological functions. I could use this knowledge to discover the unique advantages of neurological conditions like dyslexia, creating awareness of the capabilities of individuals considered "disadvantaged." By using neuroscience research to create awareness for diverse abilities, I aim to assist communities in celebrating these unique neurodiverse advantages. Neurodiverse individuals are often labeled as disabled because their cognition is not suited to neurotypical strengths. Cognitive functions are not common knowledge, so many people are unaware that neurodiverse cognition has strengths different from neurotypical cognition. As a neuroscientist, I could use my studies and research to spread awareness for diverse cognitive abilities after college. Striving to increase understanding of cognition's diverse ability would be my way to help neurodiverse individuals share and celebrate their unique brains. Through a neuroscience degree, I also aim to support and improve accommodations. In studying cognitive functions in neuroscience, I look forward to delving into atypical brain functions. Applying neuroscience research, I could enhance neurodiversity testing to help catch student cases early. I could further these applications of research to fine-tune technology accommodations to neurodiverse needs. For instance, I could do research to help further accommodations that make websites accessible or make assistive technology like text-to-speech web extensions (Kurzweil 3000) or scan Reader pens more adaptive to individual needs. Likewise, my research could also be used to create awareness and advocate for Using the awareness created by my research; I could influence education systems, social systems, or technology in ways that accommodate the neurodiverse community. In these ways, I can improve assistive technology in education and social systems. To further my career as a neuroscientist, I plan to engage in early neuroscience research in an undergraduate program and continue throughout a graduate program. I would study through undergrad research courses or in research organizations for STEM students that offer access to professor research and school labs. I would also connect with student organizations to access new ideas and provide internship and research opportunities. These features allow me to fully explore neuroscience and its larger applications, becoming a competitive neuroscientist. I am dyslexic but have decided to embrace my learning differences by exploring neuroscience. As a neuroscience student, I aspire to help others better understand their disabilities.