October is Dyslexia Awareness Month  This cause is near and dear to my heart. I was a kid who loved learning and wanted to read just like my friends, but by the end of 4th grade, I was still struggling to read at a 1st grade level. No matter how hard I tried, the words just didn't come together. My parents refused to accept that I couldn't learn. They knew I just needed someone who could teach me differently. With intensive Orton-Gillingham instruction from a trained literacy specialist and my mom, a @saintjosephs Hawk, who took a year off to homeschool me in all my other 5th grade subjects, I advanced three full grade levels in reading in one year. At the start of 6th grade, my parents enrolled me at @HMPioneers, a rigorous Catholic college prep school that offered the same specialized literacy support. The growth continued. Today, I'm an honors student with a 3.9 GPA as a senior at Hill-Murray, chasing big college dreams both academically and athletically. I'm sharing my story because this issue doesn’t get the attention it deserves. There are kids out there right now who feel the way I once did - lost and hopeless. Kids who are trying their hardest, but still falling behind. 👉 To those kids (and parents): Dyslexia doesn't mean you aren't smart. It doesn't mean you’re broken or that you can't succeed. It means your brain learns differently. Once you build your toolbox and unlock the thing that is holding you back with the right type of instruction, the sky’s the limit. 🚀 Keep believing. Keep pushing. And never let your struggles convince you that your dreams are out of reach. I'm proof of what's possible. Kicking takes grit.🏈 So does overcoming dyslexia.📚 Never give up. 💪 #UntilEveryChildCanRead #SayDyslexia #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth #HMPROUD #TheNicholasCenter #FIERYKICKICYVEINS #Classof2027 #KICKER @MadeByDyslexia @DyslexiaYale @DyslexiaMN @DDWI13 @DyslexiaIDA @ehanford @curtis_jeanne @BYDyslexics @Learning_Ally @OGInternational @InspirDyslexia @IMSEOG @AIMSchool @Parents4RJ @SJU_literacy @SJUHawks @ASBx2018 @N_W_Sports @TU4Community @LindamoodBell @literacypodcast @ReadingLeagueWI @Yale @reading_league @LogicofEnglish