School used to be the place I dreaded going to every day, but over time, it became a safe haven for me to learn and be myself—and I owe a lot of that to Windward. For around a decade, I was deprived of the education I deserved, and because of that, I struggled immensely. However, when I switched schools to Windward, I received a proper education and left as a newer and more confident version of myself. Through this experience, I have learned many things. One key factor is that a good education is essential to success. It has become one of my personal goals to help others receive the education they deserve and provide them with the tools they need to succeed in life, just as my teachers did for me.
During elementary school, I barely seemed to keep up with the class, and I was called dumb because of it; no one thought that I might have a learning disability. That was, however, until fifth grade when my teacher and parents decided to have me tested, and we found out that I had dyslexia. A year after receiving this diagnosis, my parents decided it was time to try a new approach to my education: Windward.
Upon entering the school, I was warmly welcomed by both teachers and fellow students. At the school, my teachers not only taught me new strategies to help me learn, but they also instilled confidence in me that I would have never had otherwise. I joined Windward as the student who hid behind her desk—hoping the teacher wouldn’t see and call on her—and left as the student who begged the teacher to call on them just one more time before the class ended. That is what Windward is capable of doing.
This summer, I had the fantastic opportunity to see things from the other perspective, that of the teachers. I was able to shadow two of the Windward Summer School classes: one in math and one in English language arts. On the first day, I walked in scared and worried that I had made a colossal mistake. However, within the first hour of watching the teachers teach the lessons and the children interacting with one another and the lesson games, I knew I made the right decision. Over time, I gradually began to move away from simply observing the class to helping the students during class and became more of an asset to the class. Every day, I would greet the kids on their way up, and one day, when I was out sick, the children even asked me the next day what had happened. Overall, this profound experience helped me solidify what I want to do with my life.
My desire to become the person who helps people become the best possible scholars they can be stems from my personal experience with education. If I had never experienced the struggles I did, or if I had never attended Windward and received such fantastic support, I might never have discovered this passion. Moreover, this summer, I was able to pursue that passion, and it confirmed that this is what I want to do with my life. Looking forward, I am incredibly excited to use the skills Windward gave me to pay it forward to a new generation of students.
