Growing up with ADHD has always been one of my biggest challenges, but eventually became my greatest motivators. I realized that in order to achieve my goals, I would have to work harder than most people, since my diagnosis in 2021. Not realizing I had ADHD throughout my childhood, ADHD made it difficult to focus in school, to manage my time effectively, and to stay consistent in pursuing my passions. I didnt let it slow down from my goals, of going to college and playing college basketball. I was willing to do what I needed to, going to tutoring, extra credit work, extra trainings, and behavioral therapies. As a 6’10” basketball player, many people assumed that my height would give me an automatic advantage, but it was not that simple. My ADHD made the game a lot more difficult for me than it appeared. While others could easily follow instructions, stay focused during plays, and manage the intensity of the game, I had to put in extra time and practice. My mind would often wander during crucial moments, making me miss key plays or lose track of my positioning on the court. My height may have been a physical asset, but I knew I had to train both my body and my mind to stay in the game. I developed a habit of spending hours after practice drilling fundamentals and working on my concentration. While my teammates were able to relax after training, I would be at the gym working on mindfulness techniques, studying game footage, and running drills until I could perform under pressure without losing focus. I knew that I couldn’t rely solely on my height to get ahead. It wasn’t easy, but my passion for the game and my refusal to let ADHD define my abilities pushed me to work harder every day. I also had to work just as hard in my academics. ADHD didn’t just make focusing during games difficult it also affected my ability to concentrate in class, manage assignments, and keep up with deadlines. My first semester in college was really hard, with so many new distractions and being away from home across the nation, I had no one to guide me or hold me accountable. This affected my grades significantly, where I was benched the first games due to academic probation. I knew that if I wanted to attend college and pursue my education, I couldn’t give up. I sought out strategies to help me focus and organized my time more effectively. With the support of my family, coaches, and teachers, I was able to end my school year with a 3.4 GPA.

My father is Tony Acevedo and he's been in Law enforcement for over 25 years. I'm Tony Acevedo and I'm a student athlete with ADD playing basketball. The reason I mention my ADHD is because it has shaped me and challenged me my entire life, and has helped me build resilience, perseverance, and determination. I have also learned to build leadership and communication skills both on and off the court to help me succeed. I currently play basketball for the University of St Joseph's and it hasn't been easy for me to get here, even at my stature. I have had challenges since early childhood with my academics and communication skills. Throughout the years and as I got older, I realized that I had to work much harder than my peers, I had to figure out ways to stay on top of my academics and my sport to be able to go to college and play basketball in college. I had to learn to be my own leader, because I didn't want anyone to know about my disability, so I wouldn't be judged or excluded. I did this by really pushing myself through tutoring, after school resources, and also pushing my body at the gym and making myself stronger mentally and physically. As much as I wanted to give up at times, I reminded myself this was the only way to get through the challenges and I didn't want to quit on my goals. I was resilient in navigating my challenges by eventually communicating my difficulties so I could get the proper resources to assist me in navigating my challenges, especially when I started college and became overwhelmed in balancing my academics and sports. It has helped me immensely now that I am more open to this. I have also been an instrumental part of my team and work really hard in keeping my grades up so I dont let me coaches or team down, which I believe shows an act of selflessness. Also, knowing how much my mom has worked to allow me the experiences of college is a big reason why I try so hard, even when i feel i cant. My focus and determination show daily. I moved from my home in California across the nation to Connecticut to attend college. This was the hardest move for me, away from my family and friends. I no longer had my mom to guide me and help me not forget tasks. She was instrumental in making sure I kept on top of all my Dr. appts, my school, and my daily tasks, But I was willing to move across the nation, to reach my goals. I had to quickly learn a new away to overcome my ADD challenges, I make sure I calendar all my upcoming tests, make sure I attend all my tutoring sessions, show up to class on time, and turn in assignments in a timely manner. I show up to all my workouts on time and listen to what my teammates and coaches as of me. We are a team and if I let myself down, I let everyone else down. My strong work ethic was evident over the summer in California, where I worked on my basketball training while juggling two jobs. I worked at my local recreational center as a basketball coach and a retail shop selling shoes. On weekends I trained for basketball to be ready for my next season. My ADD challenges will always be a part of me, but my passion for basketball and 3.4 GPA is what I focus on.

My name is Tony Acevedo, I was diagnosed with ADHD in 4th grade ( age 10) , but I wasn’t told about my disability until this year, 2023 at the age of 17. I stand 6’10” in height and have been tall all my life. Lucky for me I also fell in love with the sport of basketball, and I have been playing since I was 8 years old. I do believe that basketball although fast-paced, helped me cope and learn to deal with my ADHD, without knowing I had it. But, I always had trouble remembering game plays, and practices, and I could see my coaches' frustration, during games and didn’t know why, my coaches didn’t know about ADHD, I didn’t at that time know about ADHD and how it affects my sport, I just play the best I can. My struggles in school were just the same, I didn’t know when we were having tests, I didn’t know when assignments were due, and I would be taught a math lesson and forget how to do it minutes later. I always remember my mom crying sometimes in frustration when I would forget things, school projects, school essays, and just anything that was important. She hired so many tutors to help me get through math and they did help, but I still struggled. In my last two years of High School, I played on my varsity basketball team and I did very well, I could see myself improving. During the last couple summers, my mom enrolled me in travel ball, which means we would travel locally and play more competitive teams. During one of these travel tournaments, I was approached by a scout for prep schools. I didn’t know what a prep school was and neither did my mom, so we didn’t follow up on it. But they called and my mom spoke to them and they told us a prep school ( boarding school) to continue one additional year of high school would be ideal for me and they had a school that wanted me and would offer me a scholarship. The only concern? It meant leaving home in California and going across the nation to Massachusetts! I had never been away from home, my mom was instrumental in guiding me through high school, helping me remember assignments, and remembering basketball practice days. tests and anything else that needed to be done, so the thought of leaving all I know and my mom having a hard time with the thought of me leaving, was a bit nerve-wracking. I have been here in Massachusetts for a year now and I have online therapy sessions, which my mom worked so hard in getting approved since her insurance would only cover me in California. I also take a holistic approach to help me focus, by doing yoga once a week and taking a cocktail of vitamins to help me with my ADHD. Basketball keeps me positive, it keeps me going and I know I need to stay on top of my academics so I can play. Basketball has been my outlet. Basketball helps me feel better about my learning disability because I know I struggle, but I am still a great basketball player. It motivates me, it encourages me to better myself every day. it's my emotional medicine. I plan to study Kinensiology to also understand the body and help those that struggle the way i have but can learn skills to help them cope. I appreciate taking care of my body and my mind, with a more holistic approach

My name is Tony Acevedo, I was diagnosed with ADHD in 4th grade ( age 10) , but I wasn’t told about my disability until this year, 2023 at the age of 17. I stand 6’10” in height and have been tall all my life. Lucky for me I also fell in love with the sport of basketball, and I have been playing since I was 8 years old. I do believe that basketball although fast-paced, helped me cope and learn to deal with my ADHD, without knowing I had it. But, I always had trouble remembering game plays, and practices, and I could see my coaches' frustration, during games and didn’t know why, my coaches didn’t know about ADHD, I didn’t at that time know about ADHD and how it affects my sport, I just play the best I can. My struggles in school were just the same, I didn’t know when we were having tests, I didn’t know when assignments were due, and I would be taught a math lesson and forget how to do it minutes later. I always remember my mom crying sometimes in frustration when I would forget things, school projects, school essays, and just anything that was important. She hired so many tutors to help me get through math and they did help, but I still struggled. In my last two years of High School, I played on my varsity basketball team and I did very well, I could see myself improving. During the last couple summers, my mom enrolled me in travel ball, which means we would travel locally and play more competitive teams. During one of these travel tournaments, I was approached by a scout for prep schools. I didn’t know what a prep school was and neither did my mom, so we didn’t follow up on it. But they called and my mom spoke to them and they told us a prep school ( boarding school) to continue one additional year of high school would be ideal for me and they had a school that wanted me and would offer me a scholarship. The only concern? It meant leaving home in California and going across the nation to Massachusetts! I had never been away from home, my mom was instrumental in guiding me through high school, helping me remember assignments, and remembering basketball practice days. tests and anything else that needed to be done, so the thought of leaving all I know and my mom having a hard time with the thought of me leaving, was a bit nerve-wracking. I have been here in Massachusetts for a year now and I have online therapy sessions, which my mom worked so hard in getting approved since her insurance would only cover me in California. I also take a holistic approach to help me focus, by doing yoga once a week and taking a cocktail of vitamins to help me with my ADHD. Basketball keeps me positive, it keeps me going and I know I need to stay on top of my academics so I can play. Basketball has been my outlet. Basketball helps me feel better about my learning disability because I know I struggle, but I am still a great basketball player. It motivates me, it encourages me to better myself every day. it's my emotional medicine. I plan to study Kinesiology to also understand the body and help those that struggle the way i have but can learn skills to help them cope. I appreciate taking care of my body and my mind, with a more holistic approach

My name is Tony Acevedo, I was diagnosed with ADHD in 4th grade ( age 10) , but I wasn’t told about my disability until this year, 2022 at the age of 17. I live with my mom and my siblings and my mom has truly been my biggest advocate and supporter as we navigated this world of ADHD. I don't think my mom truly knew what was going on and she tried her best to stay positive and patient with me. She guided me through so much and always looked for the best resources to help me get by at school and at home. My mom was always making sure I knew my daily tasks and would use a whiteboard every day to list all my tasks, showering, homework, practice, upcoming tests, and the days I had to study for the tests. She would access the school portal to make sure I wouldn't miss deadlines and would list them on the whiteboard EVERY DAY. I know it was a lot of work, i could at times see the frustration and worry in her when she knew I had tests coming up that I would likely fail, because no matter how hard I studied, no matter how many tutors she hired ( online and in person) I was still not passing tests. I stand 6’10” in height and have been tall all my life. Lucky for me I also fell in love with the sport of basketball, and I have been playing since I was 8 years old. I do believe that basketball although fast-paced, helped me cope and learn to deal with my ADHD, without knowing I had it. But, I always had trouble remembering game plays, and practices, and I could see my coaches' frustration, during games and didn’t know why, my coaches didn’t know about ADHD, I didn’t at that time know about ADHD and how it affects my sport, I just play the best I can. My mom was instrumental in making sure I didn't miss a practice or game, and that I was always committed and consistent. She would drive anywhere I needed to to get the training and skill set I wanted in In my last two years of High School, I played on my varsity basketball team and I did very well, I could see myself improving. During the last couple of summers, my mom enrolled me in travel ball, which means we would travel locally and play more competitive teams. During one of these travel tournaments, I was approached by a scout for prep schools. I didn’t know what a prep school was and neither did my mom, so we didn’t follow up on it. But they called and my mom spoke to them and they told us a prep school ( boarding school) to continue one additional year of high school would be ideal for me and they had a school that wanted me and would offer me a scholarship. I I have been here in Massachusetts for a year now and I have online therapy sessions, which my mom worked so hard in getting approved since her insurance would only cover me in California. I also take a holistic approach to help me focus, by doing yoga once a week and taking a cocktail of vitamins to help me with my ADHD. Basketball keeps me positive, it keeps me going and I know I need to stay on top of my academics so I can play. Basketball has been my outlet

My name is Tony Acevedo, I was diagnosed with ADHD in 2022, at 17 yr old, but my mom said she always knew, she knew I struggled, she knew simple tasks were sometimes hard, and I sometimes questioned why I couldn't be at the same level as my peers, academically and athletically. I stand 6’10” in height and have been tall all my life. Lucky for me I also fell in love with the sport of basketball, and I have been playing since I was 8 years old. I do believe that basketball although fast-paced, helped me cope and learn to deal with my ADHD, without knowing I had it. I always had trouble remembering game plays, and practices, and I could see my coaches' frustration. My struggles in school were just the same, I couldn't remember anything I studied when I couldn't remember when assignments were due, and I always remember my mom crying sometimes in frustration She hired tutors to help me get through school, but I still struggled. In my last two years of High School, I played on my varsity basketball team and I did very well, I could see myself improving. During the last couple of summers, my mom enrolled me in travel ball, which means we would travel locally and play more competitive teams. During one of these travel tournaments, I was approached by a scout for prep schools. I didn’t know what a prep school was and neither did my mom, But they called and my mom spoke to them and they told us a prep school ( boarding school) to continue one additional year of high school would be ideal for me and they had a school that wanted me and would offer me a scholarship. I was 17 yrs old at this time and graduating earlier than my peers, so my mom thought the opportunity of an additional year of high school would be ideal for me, the only concern? With my recent ADHD diagnosis, It meant leaving home in California and going across the nation to Massachusetts! I had never been away from home, my mom was instrumental in guiding me through high school, helping me remember assignments, and remembering basketball practice days. The thought of leaving all I know and my mom having a hard time with the thought of me leaving was a bit nerve-wracking. In the end, we determined that my leaving would be a good start to see how I can manage, I have been here in Massachusetts for a year now and I have online behavioral therapy sessions. I have also chosen to take a holistic approach to help me focus, by doing yoga once a week and taking a cocktail of vitamins to help me with my ADHD. Basketball keeps me positive, it keeps me going and I know I need to stay on top of my academics so I can play. Basketball has been my outlet, the reason I have had this opportunity of attending a great boarding school away from home. Basketball helps me feel better about my learning disability because I know I struggle, but I am still a great basketball player. It motivates me, it encourages me to better myself every day. I want to pursue a career in professional basketball and kinesiology, to be able to help others like me understand their bodies and use sports as an outlet and this scholarship will help me achieve that.

My name is Tony Acevedo, I was diagnosed with ADHD in 2022, at 17 yr old, but my mom said she always knew, she knew I struggled, she knew simple tasks were sometimes hard, and I sometimes questioned why I couldn't be at the same level as my peers, academically and athletically. I stand 6’10” in height and have been tall all my life. Lucky for me I also fell in love with the sport of basketball, and I have been playing since I was 8 years old. I do believe that basketball although fast-paced, helped me cope and learn to deal with my ADHD, without knowing I had it. I always had trouble remembering game plays, and practices, and I could see my coaches' frustration. My struggles in school were just the same, I couldn't remember anything I studied when I couldn't remember when assignments were due, and I always remember my mom crying sometimes in frustration She hired tutors to help me get through school, but I still struggled. I left for Massachusetts for my last year of high school to play basketball which meant leaving home in California and going across the nation to Massachusetts! I had never been away from home, my mom was instrumental in guiding me through high school, helping me remember assignments, and remembering basketball practice days. The thought of leaving all I know and my mom having a hard time with the thought of me leaving was a bit nerve-wracking. I have been here in Massachusetts for a year now and I have online behavioral therapy sessions. I have also chosen to take a holistic approach to help me focus, by doing yoga once a week and taking a cocktail of vitamins to help me with my ADHD. My basketball season here has been a successful one and I’m currently being recruited by a couple of universities, which I am so grateful for. Basketball keeps me positive, it keeps me going and I know I need to stay on top of my academics so I can play. Basketball has been my outlet, the reason I have had this opportunity of attending a great boarding school away from home. Basketball helps me feel better about my learning disability because I know I struggle, but I am still a great basketball player. It motivates me, it encourages me to better myself every day. I want to pursue a career in professional basketball and kinesiology, to be able to help others like me understand their bodies and use sports as an outlet.

My name is Tony Acevedo, I was diagnosed with ADHD in 2022, at 17 yr old, but my mom said she always knew, she knew I struggled, she knew simple tasks were sometimes hard, and I sometimes questioned why I couldn't be at the same level as my peers, academically and athletically. I stand 6’10” in height and have been tall all my life. Lucky for me I also fell in love with the sport of basketball, and I have been playing since I was 8 years old. I do believe that basketball although fast-paced, helped me cope and learn to deal with my ADHD, without knowing I had it. I always had trouble remembering game plays, and practices, and I could see my coaches' frustration. My struggles in school were just the same, I couldn't remember anything I studied when I couldn't remember when assignments were due, and I always remember my mom crying sometimes in frustration She hired tutors to help me get through school, but I still struggled. In my last two years of High School, I played on my varsity basketball team and I did very well, I could see myself improving. During the last couple of summers, my mom enrolled me in travel ball, which means we would travel locally and play more competitive teams. During one of these travel tournaments, I was approached by a scout for prep schools. I didn’t know what a prep school was and neither did my mom, But they called and my mom spoke to them and they told us a prep school ( boarding school) to continue one additional year of high school would be ideal for me and they had a school that wanted me and would offer me a scholarship. I was 17 yrs old at this time and graduating earlier than my peers, so my mom thought the opportunity of an additional year of high school would be ideal for me, the only concern? With my recent ADHD diagnosis, It meant leaving home in California and going across the nation to Massachusetts! I had never been away from home, my mom was instrumental in guiding me through high school, helping me remember assignments, and remembering basketball practice days. The thought of leaving all I know and my mom having a hard time with the thought of me leaving was a bit nerve-wracking. In the end, we determined that my leaving would be a good start to see how I can manage, I have been here in Massachusetts for a year now and I have online behavioral therapy sessions. I have also chosen to take a holistic approach to help me focus, by doing yoga once a week and taking a cocktail of vitamins to help me with my ADHD. My basketball season here has been a successful one and I’m currently being recruited by a couple of universities, which I am so grateful for. Basketball keeps me positive, it keeps me going and I know I need to stay on top of my academics so I can play. Basketball has been my outlet, the reason I have had this opportunity of attending a great boarding school away from home. Basketball helps me feel better about my learning disability because I know I struggle, but I am still a great basketball player. It motivates me, it encourages me to better myself every day. I want to pursue a career in professional basketball and kinesiology, to be able to help others like me understand their bodies and use sports as an outlet.