As soon as I was born, the nurses in the hospital gave me my routine shots. However, They gave me one in the middle of my thigh, near what they believed was a birthmark. My skin had a severe reaction, and that's when the doctor told my mother that the spots she saw on my body weren't birthmarks; they were several benign tumors, and I had Neurofibromatosis Type 1. After rigorous testing, it was found that I also had those same tumors on my brain and behind my eyes. She was told that I would grow up to be handicapped, and experience severe physical and cognitive delays, as well as blindness. However — by some miracle — that was not my fate. I ended up growing and developing normally. I started reading at only two years old, and I was placed into the gifted program at five years old. I was winning awards, giving speeches, and flying through books. Everything was a breeze until I got to high school and began to stumble a bit. It became harder for me to focus on my work and I wasn’t completing things as quickly as I used to. I was having to get extra support from my teachers that was not previously required and it made me confused and upset. I was reading passages several times over just to get the gist and it started to bother me so much it was distracting me from completing my work. I had a friend who had just been diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and she told me she experienced all of the same things, prompting me to talk to my doctor. I went through testing, and at the end of my high school senior year, I received an official ADHD diagnosis after a four-year struggle. Coming into college, I automatically knew I had the heart to help children with disabilities, so I decided to major in Special Education. Having two disabilities, I wanted to let students know that I’m there for them and I understand their struggle. I feel as if it is rare to see Special Education teachers with disorders themself, and I believe it would be a great model to show the students that their disability does not have to hold them back, no matter how long it takes or how their disability affects them. I know what it is like to be afraid of what others’ preconceived notions are and how they’ll treat you. I also know what it’s like to be apprehensive about how your condition will affect you in the future — not knowing if it will improve or worsen, and taking each day one step at a time. I want to create a fun, comfortable, and welcoming environment for students with disabilities. Being a Black woman, I also wanted to insert myself into a field where there are not many people who look like me. I want to be an example to show other Black people that it’s okay to break into job markets where we may not be seen as often and that it doesn’t have to be scary. Being awarded this scholarship would be a blessing because it would help give me the aid I need to pursue my desires and several minority groups that get overlooked and ignored. I am consistently speaking out in favor of women, people of color, and the disabled community. Being in all three groups, I believe I could effectively lead each one on how to navigate life, and also prove to society that we are more than stereotypes and stigmas.