My mom started to suspect I might have ADHD when I was in elementary school and needed to do revision homework. She needed to reteach everything to me because I’d not paid any attention during class. When she asked my teachers if I might have ADHD, they said no because I didn’t disrupt class and my grades were good. After a few years, however, school became more challenging. My grades started to slip and I was often told off for not following simple instructions. When the teacher told us we had five minutes left in a test, I’d discover I’d only answered three questions because my focus had drifted off. I was a child who hated to be in trouble or get bad grades, and started to develop anxiety. My mom took me to a psychologist who quickly picked up that I had ADHD. A psychiatrist confirmed the diagnosis. My confidence was very low. I felt stupid for not being able to pay attention and follow simple instructions like the other children in my class. Then my mom told me something that really helped me. She explained that school is like a sausage factory. Most children are round, the right shape to slide smoothly through the sausage machine. I, on the other hand, was a beautiful sparkling star. Going through the sausage machine was harder for me because it wasn’t designed for star-shaped children. I’d need to curl my points in to squeeze through the machine. It would be a bumpy journey, but I’d get through and when I popped out of the other side, I’d return to my shiny star-shaped self. This analogy really resonated with me. I loved that I was a star! With a better understanding of my condition, help from medication, and the support of my family, teachers and school, things got easier. I still have my struggles. Despite taking ADHD medication and getting accommodations at school, maintaining focus, time management, and remembering simple things that I haven't written down are a daily struggle for me. I find it difficult to maintain my concentration for extended periods of time and therefore am not a good test taker. I don’t do as well as I’d like because I lose focus, not because I haven't prepared hard enough. Despite this, I have managed to earn good grades in high school and have a GPA of 3.88 that I’m very proud of. This reflects how hard I work on daily grades, assignments and extra credits to offset my test taking challenges. My classmates are often surprised by how good my grades are because they confuse my forgetfulness and tardiness with a lack of intelligence. This used to hurt my feelings but now I laugh it off. I don’t want to focus on the negative aspects of ADHD only. Having ADHD is my strength too. I am very creative and my imagination helps me do well in art and creative writing. I am really good at problem solving and people enjoy working with me on group projects because of my out-of-the-box thinking. I also find my ability to hyperfocus very useful, and am learning to harness it to “lock-in”, drown out all other distractions, and produce excellent work. Lastly, ADHD has helped reveal who my true friends are. They are the ones who gently nudge me when they see I’ve lost focus, who remind me of an upcoming test or commitment so I don’t forget, who know how smart I am, and love the way I sparkle.