I began tutoring a student virtually through Chicago Teen Mentors my freshman year during the COVID-19 pandemic. On our first Zoom, his mom explained that he had a learning disability. He didn’t know all of the alphabet and had developed creative coping mechanisms to hide that even though he was a fourth grader, he couldn’t read. In fourth grade, I was an avid reader. Books were my refuge. I couldn’t imagine my life at that age without reading, and I was determined to inspire him to love reading too. At first, I wasn’t a great tutor. I didn’t know anything about special education or teaching phonics. I reached out to one of my “aunties,” a special educator, who was willing to help me. I sent her my lesson plans and asked her how to help him learn. Even though I was adjusting to being a freshman during a pandemic, I read books and articles about special education. I noticed many of the interactive reading games I found were made for much younger children. He noticed too. I didn’t want him to feel discouraged from learning the concepts at his age, so I used my skills as a programmer to code reading games especially for him. During virtual learning, he couldn’t get individual attention from his teacher, so we started meeting twice a week. Even with my busy schedule, I planned his lessons and coded his games weeks in advance. My student continued to improve, not only in his reading but also in his confidence. He was excited to start lessons, thrilled when he got a question right, and undeterred when he made a mistake. Determined to find resources, I searched for online events to learn everything I could about special education. While my family watched movies together on Friday nights, I was in my room watching documentaries about people with special needs and how they thrive. Special education and tutoring evolved into my passion. That year, I made the promise to myself that I would do everything in my power to encourage my student to learn to read. When we started our second year together, his mom joined us. She sat quietly as we talked about our summer vacations. She couldn’t hold it any longer. She handed him a book to read for me, “Kim Is Sick.” I held back tears. In four years, he has gone from knowing a few letters of the alphabet to writing sentences and reading paragraphs without help. Today, I still tutor my student, and I plan to continue in college. My research and unwavering pursuit of tools that worked for my student led me to build him his own website to empower him to search for books and revisit our lessons. When I became a tutor, I expected to earn volunteer hours and help a little kid with homework. I achieved so much more than that. Discovering the impact technology can have in special education has changed my life, and my student’s life, forever. Every child deserves the opportunity to achieve excellence. I was resilient in my mission to help my student learn to read, and I want to make sure other kids can too. My degree in Computer Science will help me use technology to impact more students with learning disabilities. I plan to found a groundbreaking edtech company that uses AI to evaluate the learning styles of students with learning disabilities and match them with their ideal educational resources, thereby contributing to the common good and insuring more children like my student will be inspired and confident in their ability to succeed.

I have been accepted and am currently committed to my top choice, Spelman College, pursuing by Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. Two unique programs interest me at Spelman College. The first is the Center of Excellence for Minority Women in STEM. My goal is to found an EdTech company that creates learning programs that meet the individual needs of students with learning differences. I discovered the need for this technology while tutoring my student with a learning disability. Games that matched both his reading level and his age didn’t exist, so I created them for him. I knew I had found my calling, special education technology. In four years, my student has gone from knowing a few letters of the alphabet to writing full sentences and reading paragraphs and picture books without help. Working as a special education classroom assistant helped me realize the right learning technology can transform a student’s learning and the classroom dynamic a sa whole. The Center’s focus on professional development will not only help me reach this goal but to execute my vision with excellence and integrity. I look forward to learning from and with Black women. There have never been more than three Black girls in my AP Computer Science classes. Spelman’s exemplary track record in computer science education and entrepreneurship makes me look forward to bringing my experience as a STEMpreneur to the classroom, where I will learn from the best and brightest STEM minds the world has to offer.

I still remember how beautifully my student read “Kim Is Sick” during our first tutoring session after summer break. This session marked the start of our fourth year of working together. When he finished reading, I pushed the tears that managed to escape my eyes back up with my cheeks as I smiled. He was reading. My student has a learning disability. At first, he was reluctant to learn to read, but he has gained confidence, and our shared experience helped me discover my mission - to create special education technology. Equity for students of all backgrounds, with and without learning disabilities, is my passion - computer science is my path. My computer-science-oriented goal is to make sure all students have the tools and inspiration they need to succeed. I started my YouTube channel, Lemonerdy, in 2018, making videos about things I loved. In 2020, I started making coding tutorials to share my love of computer science. Soon, I started receiving messages from girls around the world, inspired by a girl who looked like them teaching them to code. In 2021, I created a 26-video coding course with DIY.org, which is free and available internationally. My tutorials earned hundreds of thousands of views, and I realized I wasn’t the only girl craving diversity in tech. In response, I started Lemonerdy University, an award-winning peer-to-peer STEM education platform where kids of all backgrounds have the opportunity to learn from teachers who look like them and become teachers themselves. On my YouTube Channel and at Lemonerdy U, my goal is to continue to inspire young coders. Outside of computer science, my objective is to empower students with learning disabilities. Around the time I started making coding tutorials, I began tutoring my student. I coded custom games for him based on his learning style, helping him go from knowing a little bit of the alphabet to reading and writing full sentences at a 2nd-grade level. Working with him helped me discover my passion for not only empowering students of diverse backgrounds but also of diverse learning styles. Today, my favorite part of each day is working as a Special Education Classroom Assistant as part of my senior experience. Before I go to classes at my school, I spend three hours working with diverse learners in K-5 classrooms. I have introduced sign language to the classroom and created lesson plans and materials to assist my verbal and non-verbal students in reaching their IEP goals. In the future, I will research innovative methods to teach children with disabilities and earn my doctorate. I plan to create my own EdTech company that uses AI and machine learning to evaluate students with learning disabilities and create programs that best fit their learning styles. My student was so much more motivated and inspired when he had learning games made just for him. My Edtech company will revolutionize special education classroom dynamics by providing students the individualized attention they need and giving teachers tools to cater to the various learning styles in the classroom. I have big dreams, but my first step is to pursue my bachelor's degree in Computer Science at Spelman College. At Spelman, I will continue to teach kids computer science and create individualized tech for students with learning disabilities. Diversity is central to each of my goals and the impacts I want to make. While individually, my passion for computer science and special education changes lives, together, they can change the world.