My mother taught me way more than any parent can hope to teach their child; the knowledge of right and wrong was only the beginning of the lessons my mother taught me. She taught me the true definition of perseverance not through stories or personal anecdotes but by pushing past all life put in front of her. Many people know my mother is a teacher who has a master’s degree in education. However, very few know that she is a dyslexic who struggled in school from an early age, a cancer survivor who worked full time and raised her children while working towards her masters degree. I watched my mother work till she couldn’t anymore: not for herself but for her children and her students. She told me and continues to tell her students; “Disability does not define you. You are not your disability. You are far more.” This, from a young age made me grow and mature much faster than the average child.
As an infant I was diagnosed with Failure to Thrive and spent the first two and a half years in the hospital for severe malnutrition. It was during that time I was diagnosed with Osteogenesis Imperfecta type I, Tracheomalacia, arthritis, and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disorder. I had physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy before I could even talk. I was determined from an early age to push further than anyone might think I am capable of. I may have Osteogenesis Imperfecta, I may have arthritis, Dumping Syndrome, GERD, a processing disorder, and a disability in writing but it does not have me!
I became aware at a very early age that I did not learn like most other students, somethings take me a bit longer to grasp, but I grasp them just the same. I learned that I couldn’t play typical sports like most kids. Perseverance has allowed me to overcome many challenges. I couldn’t play sports so I became a certified Referee and I get paid to be a part of the games. I refuse to be held back by my disabilities and not only survive in school but thrive in it. I am determined to be successful in all I do.
Since entering High school I have identified many of my strengths and weaknesses. These discoveries have helped me to better understand my disability, how it affects me, and how I can be successful in spite of it. I have learned that by using tools such as graphic organizers, note cards, reading my written work aloud, and using a word processer I can identify errors and perfect my writing.
I am a public speaker and enjoy speaking at local events. I spend my summers working for a local summer camp where as a counselor I help young people with and without disabilities thrive and grow. I am a senior member of Diversity Trainers at Strath Haven High School where I teach tolerance and acceptance while conducting trainings. After identifying a need for a student voice, I worked with the Career and Technical Student Organization to create a student government at the Technical school where I attend. I am the President and founding member of the student government at the Delaware County Technical Schools. After working to create a student government at DCTS, I was asked to sit on the Delaware County Intermediate Unit School Board.
This year I will accept the County Councils Technical Student of the Year Award for the second time. I have also received other awards such as Skills USA Student of the Year For Delaware County Pennsylvania, and Strath Haven High School Varsity Arts Honors Award for Photography and Costuming.
I count myself lucky to be one of the first students at DCTS to attend the Apple Programming Certification Program. I attended this program during my Junior and Senior Year while also enrolled in Delaware County Community College Dual enrollment. I recently accepted a Co-Op Internship position with the Delaware County Intermediate Unit in their Technology Department. I hope to use the remainder of my senior year to learn as much from this internship as I can. When I graduate this June, I will graduate with Apple certifications and 13 College credits. I plan to continue my education in the Computer Science Field through the Delaware County Community College two plus two program. After completing two years at DCCC, I will then transfer to one of the partner Universities to complete my Bachelors Degree. I hope to continue to work and serve my community. It is certain that I will face many more challenges as I go out into the world. However, I am convinced that I will look these challenges head on and persevere. I hope to be a role model for other students with disabilities. I faithfully believe you can achieve your dreams and goals through struggle and indefatigable perseverance.

Essay: Draft Builder

Draft Builder is an assistive technology that helps students with writing disabilities to simplify the writing process. This tool integrates note taking, outlining, and the draft writing process into three very manageable steps. For students with writing disabilities or processing disorders related to writing, like myself, who have a great deal of difficulty putting our thoughts into logical written work; the Draft Builder is life changing. The Draft Builders structure helps students to generate ideas and organize those ideas into cohesive written work. This technology has features that include a talking spell checker, a bibliography tool, a dictionary/thesaurus and the ability for teachers to add assignment related information for students to access.
Draft Builder has been extremely helpful for me in several ways. I have had difficulty with writing for as long as I can remember. My handwriting also affects my written work. When using Draft Writer I am able to type my ideas into the correct areas, hear them read back to me, and check for spelling and grammar errors as I type. When using this process my ideas are put into a logical sequence. These things may seem small to most people, but for someone who knows what they want to say, but struggles to put it into written form it is a tremendous aid and tool to achievement. I have always been well spoken, but when writing, my ideas gets lost in the jungle of my thoughts. If asked to discuss a topic I have no issues in doing so. The problem comes in when asked to write an impromptu essay. The School Psychologist explained it to me in the following way; "When you are thinking about what you want to say the ideas come rushing in, and as you try to organize them, you become overwhelmed and the ideas get jumbled up and disorganized.”
Research has shown this technology to be successful for students who struggle with organization issues, executive functioning issues, Autism Spectrum Disorders, students who struggle making generalizations, students who struggle to make connections with ideas and information, and students who struggle with the writing process. This technology has helped me to become a strong student. I took and passed my first college level English Course last semester, I could have never achieved this success without the aid of this technology and the skills it has helped me to hone.