Dyslexia: A Boon or a Bane?

by Ady Tibrewal ’17

Dyslexia sounds like a made-up word. At least that’s what I thought when I was diagnosed with it. I was 10, and I had again failed many subjects. My confidence was at rock bottom.

After elementary school, everything had become super difficult, and I couldn’t keep up with my classmates. And I was living in the heavy shadow of my grade-A cousins. “Why can’t you be a little like them? You’re lazy and don’t try hard enough!” Those words hurt. Whenever I envisioned my future, I came up with a blank.  

One magical day I saw a small flicker of light in this dark tunnel—Landmark, a school for people with “special minds.” My new boarding school stood like a lighthouse. I actually felt like Harry Potter in Hogwarts. That Landmark helped me restart my life is an understatement. I felt as if someone had pushed a reset button and I was reinventing myself. There, I secured all the tools needed to combat my disability. The teachers were compelling and remarkable. They actually cared and wanted me to succeed. Together we worked on my foundation. I was excited to utilize effective and practical strategies and rushed to class every day.  Gone were the days when I pretended to have stomach aches to skip school. That flicker of light soon became the brightest beacon. I discovered an ebullient feeling of accomplishment. I developed ambitions and aspirations of my own. Strangely, the curse of dyslexia became a silver lining in my life. I embraced it like never before; it made me stronger. I could now stand tall without any inferiority complex. Not only did Landmark give me a wider scope to prove my competence but, it also granted me the confidence to reach my goals.  

I just completed my sophomore year at Drexel University in Philadelphia, where I am pursuing an accelerated master’s program in architectural engineering. I play an integral part in groups like Drexel Investment, the American Institute of Architectural Engineers, and even athletic activities, such as squash.

With the aid of tools I acquired at Landmark, I strive to thrive in all my current and future endeavors, willing to step into a brand new world and create my own story.

Article originally published in The Lantern, Spring/Summer 2019

 

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