CHRISTOPHER SERUGE, SAN FRANCISCO SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY I am sitting in my third grade class practicing cursive when I hear, “Christopher, please come with me.” I am then escorted out of the room by a woman I have never spoken with. She is accompanied by a tall man carrying a suitcase. Together, we head down an endless hallway full of school bags and finger-painted murals. We arrive to a room the size of a janitor’s closet, cram inside, and the testing begins. It was not until later that week that my family was brought in and informed that I was dyslexic. Suddenly, my life was spun and flipped around, just like my cursive “H.”
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I was ready to show that I wasn’t just a number but rather a student looking for a better outcome.
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According to the Dyslexia Research Institute, one out of five people are diagnosed with severe to moderate dyslexia. For me, dropping off letters from the ends of words while reading aloud in class was the scariest part. I would wait for kids to start giggling at me for mispronunciation and saying “read” instead of “red.” When I graduated from middle school, I felt my motivation had to come from me alone. Many thought I might have been faking class discussions because I was too lazy to read, but the truth was that I was exhausted from re-reading the same paragraph for the fourth time. I would look around and try to keep up, but I simply could not understand. After middle school, I thought high school might be different. But on my first day when I saw that I was scheduled for a “study skills” class, that is when the battle started. I walked in and felt it: “I’m not supposed to make it through high school. I was placed in a ‘special’ period so that I wouldn’t fail.” My fate was decided by one test. “He can’t take six classes,” I even overheard counselors say. I would have the same test experience every time. I read the questions hoping to recollect class lessons, but my mind goes empty. What feels like moments later the bell rings and most of my test is blank. I pass my test up knowing that the cycle continues tomorrow. After repeated instances, I decided I would not allow my learning difference to dictate my future. After countless arguments with my counselor, we finally came to an agreement: we would replace one of the study skills classes with a general education course. I was ready to show that I wasn’t just a number but rather a student looking for a better outcome. After long hours of studying and tenacity, I am proud to not only graduate in all of my general education classes, but with Honors and Advanced Placement. I am college bound and will one day work in the field of aviation. As I look to life after high school, I am excited to be a role model for other kids like me by opening doors to worlds once restricted by doubt. Even though I am one out of five, I am also part of the proud, determined 58% that will graduate from college.
College Track 2014 Graduation and Awards | 13