Eye To Eye Personal Statement

A part of me always knew I wanted to be a teacher and there are dozens of old pictures to prove it. When I was in elementary school, I went to a church festival where an antique wooden row-desk from an old schoolhouse was being auctioned off. Smitten, I spent every dime of my allowance and won that desk. For years to come, my mom delightedly snapped photos of me while I stood in front of that desk teaching my stuffed animals English. The older I grew, the more I placed my passion for academics into my own studies instead of an imaginary classroom. As I further dedicated myself to my studies, people around me began to think that I was destined for something much greater than what tiny Latrobe, Pennsylvania (the small town I grew up in) could offer. At some point, I started to believe those around me and I abandoned my desire to be a teacher. Shutting out the voices in my head that disagreed, I looked into career paths that were dubbed more lucrative.

When I came to

I wanted more, so I decided to join Eye to Eye as a way to be present in the classroom environment. Eye to Eye works within the Rochester City School Distric to provide mentorship for middle school students with learning differences. Mentors are UR students who also have LDs such as dyslexia or ADHD. We visit Rochester Prep weekly and work with our students on art projects which promote confidence in their learning styles. Personally, I have a processing disorder and giving students the support I received is deeply important to me. Eye to Eye, quite simply, is the most fulfilling and meaningful extracurricular I am involved in. Sharing my LD experiences with younger students helps to empower a community of kids who are too often told they are not enough — not "smart" enough, "eloquent" enough, "strong" enough — and build a new generation of students who love their unique