Hello, my name is Mia Massengill. I am from Bristol, Virginia, and am primarily looking for disability scholarships. I had a severe stroke when I was born, causing 70% of my cerebellum to not fully develop. I had very noticeable stereotypies, which are basically purposeless repetitive movements that can look like shaking your head or arms for no reason. I was given treatments to help control my stereotypies. The rarity of these stereotypies led to a neurology consult at Johns Hopkins and resulted in my condition being studied and reported in a publication titled, Young Girl With a Prenatal Cerebellar Injury. Movement Disorders Clinical Practice 2019: 6(6): 488-49. I am now about to enter college. Part of the reason I want to attend college so that I can be an inspiration for people with other stereotypies. I want to explain my backstory and encourage people to not be afraid of what others might think. Nobody is born the same; each person has something unique about them that tells a story. I want to embrace my story of where I started versus where I am now, a completely different person. When I revisited my therapists, they were in shock at how far I came. It felt like I beat the system and overpowered my brain into performing my stereotypies. After all the doctor’s appointments, therapy visits, neurology consultants, they always had hoped I would overcome this, and that they would develop a way to be in control of my stereotypies. It was worth the visits, practice, and patience, because now, I can say I overcame it.