A Success Story: My Struggle With Academics

Like Pierre de Coubertin once said, "The important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle". I like to think of this quote as my life motto. Both motivational and inspirational, this quote has given me the strength I need to persevere and overcome what has, in my life, often felt like an insurmountable obstacle. Had I not been faced with such a great struggle so early on in my life, I would not have been able to become the intelligent, independent, and skillful woman that I am today.

While you wouldn't know it by looking at my college transcript, and while the thought would never cross your mind, reading my name off of the Dean's List six consecutive semesters, academics didn't always come easy to me. Throughout my middle school and high school experience, I struggled to learn from many educators who taught students using only one particular strategy. This proved difficult for me especially because I, as a student, do not always benefit from traditional teaching styles. From the fourth grade through the beginning of high school, I would be up until all hours of the night trying to complete my homework. I didn't understand why it took me so long to complete my work, or why it seemed to take my classmates less than half as long as it took me. While my older brother was able to go over to his friends' houses to hang out until dinner time every day after school, I was stuck at home frantically trying to complete my schoolwork. I wanted more than anything to be able to see my friends after school, but it just didn't seem possible because I would never have enough time to finish everything. I was angry. I was frustrated. I was lonely.

I have always been a strong-willed student and while many things didn't seem to come naturally to me, I always had faith in myself and persevered. While my schoolwork didn't seem to show it, I knew I was a smart girl and just needed a little direction.

After being diagnosed with a learning disability in the eighth grade, I began attending sessions at the Research Institute for Learning and Development (ILD), a not-for-profit organization devoted to helping all students become successful learners. It was here that I was paired with the learning specialist who would change my life. This learning specialist was such an inspiration to me and taught me numerous strategies to use for note-taking, problem-solving, time management, and essay organization. After learning new ways to approach my difficulties, I decided to dedicate my time to using these skills in order to become a more efficient and organized student. 

The new strategies I learned were helpful for not one, but every course I was taking. As acknowledgement of my determination, persistence, and resilience in academics, I received the Drive to Thrive Award from the Research Institute of Learning and Development, showing that many students, like myself, need material presented to them in several forms in order for them to grasp a better understanding of it and to succeed. Since my time studying at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, I have been able to apply each of these strategies to my schoolwork and, in the last 2 and a half years, have received nothing short of an A!

After graduating from a high school where I was unable to take full advantage of the extracurricular activities offered, I made sure to make the most of my college career at UMass. Because my class work came so much more easily to me in college, I had the time to get involved and was able to become a part of so many amazing student organizations, clubs, and employment opportunities offered on campus. During my time at UMass, I was able to join the Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity, write for the UMass Amherst branch of Her Campus Media as an article columnist, and complete the coursework necessary to become a member of the Sinai Scholars Society as well as the JLIC Maimonides Jewish Leaders Fellowship. In addition, I was able to serve as an active member of the UMass Student Alliance for Israel, the UMass Hillel, and the UMass Chabad. While each of these organizations gave me the chance to further develop my leadership skills and scholarship, the employment positions and voluntary positions I was able to hold at UMass allowed me to master the skills I know I will need in the workforce. Such skills include efficiency, effectiveness, organization, and event-planning. While I have so much to be proud of, I would not be where I am without the teacher who helped me see things differently.

In his writings, Dr. Robert Brooks, one of today’s leading speakers and authors on the topic of motivation, resilience, and the important qualities of effective leaders, mentions the idea of a “charismatic” teacher. He says that “charismatic” teachers are those who “possess expertise in their subject areas but they also appreciate that if students are to learn from them, they must touch their hearts as well as their minds” (Brooks 2000). The learning specialist I was paired with at the Research Institute for Learning and Development concentrated on my strengths, using my strengths to help me overcome my weaknesses. She showed such compassion for me and consistently encouraged me in all that I did, both academically and socially. Most importantly, this learning specialist was relatable, making me feel comfortable and allowing me to form a strong bond with her. In my opinion, she showed the qualities that every teacher should have!

Ever since attending sessions at ILD, it has been my goal to become this kind of “charismatic” teacher for students of my own. I know that there are so many other students like myself, who don't always benefit from traditional teaching styles. As a result of this, I feel as though I have a strong advantage in that I would be able to relate to students in a way that many other teachers have not been able. It is my greatest hope that I am able to redirect struggling students early on, put them on the right track, and save them from the years of hardship that I had to endure. 

Next year, I will be attending graduate school at Simmons College where I will be working toward my Master's degree in Elementary Education so that I can make my dream into a reality. I can't wait to change the lives of other students, like my learning specialist was able to do for me and I look forward to empowering my own students to be life-long learners.