Applicant Information
Starting GPA: 3.18
Current GPA: 3.46
Services Received:
I received therapy 3 times a week until early 2023, and then once a week up to the present.
Plans After High School:
I want to go into the field of Assistive Technology by getting a major in computer science and a minor in psychology or special education. I have a college counselor helping me find the right colleges and accommodations. When I’m ready, he will help me apply to colleges.
Plan for using this award money:
I plan to use this money to get internationally recognized technology certifications like CompTIA+. These certifications are industry standards, and will help me prove my knowledge to both colleges and future employers.
Tell us about your experience:
The GT/LD program has allowed me to get a head start on my career by teaching me organizational skills and encouraging me to learn in the best way for me. In addition, I’ve gotten the opportunity to work with the LFI program to design the ordering system for their work-experience cafe, which allowed me to get assistive technology internship in Hawaii. I’ve made friends and joined clubs I never would have considered without the support of the GT/LD teachers and students.
When I first arrived to WJ, I was struggling with severe OCD, suicidal ideation, and depression, to the point where I was rarely able to finish a full school day. Through the help of Ms. Bernier and Ms. Reed, I slowly began going to more classes, and started taking on a normal workload. If Ms. Bernier hadn’t seen who I could have been, and hadn’t encouraged me to push myself, I likely wouldn’t be standing here today. Because of her effort, I have hope for the future; I know that I can not only survive, but thrive, even on my own.
Starting GPA: 3.5
Current GPA: 3.56
Services Received:
Services Outside of MCPS
Occupational Therapy at Treatment and Learning Center from 12/2010 through 12/2022
Plans After High School:
After graduation I plan to go to college to get my undergraduate degree in either history or economics. The schools I find myself most interested in are University of Maryland-College Park and William and Mary in Virginia. However, I have also been looking into other schools including University of Pittsburgh and Towson University as both College Park and William and Mary are highly selective. After I obtain my undergraduate degree, I plan to earn a graduate degree in a connected subject, perhaps law or economics. In order to increase my chances of admission at these schools, I have been participating in weekly tutoring to help me increase my ACT scores. The tutor gives me test taking strategies and helps me target my studying to the areas where I struggle most. My goal is to increase my score from my original 33 to a 35. I have already shown progress through increasing my score to a 34 with my second test. I plan to take the test a third time in June in hopes of increasing my math score, which would bring my combined score to my target.
Plan for using this award money:
I will use the funds provided to pay for the application fees for the schools I wish to apply to. I researched the cost of the application fees and the $250 provided would be exactly enough to cover applications to William and Mary, College Park, Towson and University of Pittsburgh. Having the application fees covered would be quite a relief as my family has already paid a lot in tutoring costs and test taking fees for the ACT.
Tell us about your experience:
When I was younger, I struggled with school. My writing was atrocious while my spelling was even worse, but they were not the main catalysts. It was not my intelligence that was lacking, it was something both infinitely harder and easier to deal with. It was my lack of focus and motivation that brought me down, that lowered my grades more than any flaws in my writing or misspelled words or even a dimness in my mind. I lacked the ability to focus on my schoolwork and the will to push past that limitation. I can distinctly remember, even nearly a decade later, taking a test in elementary school. It was one of the more important tests of the year. Yet, my mind was adrift with different thoughts and my body simply pressing buttons, moving through the test without a thought so my mind could drift off to more interesting things.
Over time, I got better. One of my teachers, Ms Imerman, had noticed my struggles and helped me improve. By the time I had entered the GTLD program, I had improved in leaps and bounds compared to what I was before. When Ms imerman retired at the end of my final year at that school, I was happy for her. I was grateful for her putting me back on track, even if I hadn’t been in her classroom for over a year.
Nonetheless, I still struggled in some ways. A mind with too many thoughts is a mind that drifts away from the here and now in exchange for what was, could be, or could have been. For a younger version of me, the worlds I could fashion within my mind were so much grander than the one I lived in, the one that passed day by day. I asked myself “why waste thoughts on that world, when a million more could bring greater satisfaction? That disregard hindered any attempts to fix the other problems, no will existing to fix them, even as I knew I would be better off in the long run.
The GTLD program helped me conquer those problems, though it did not happen all at once. It did not make one big contribution, there was no momentous conversation or clever strategy that helped me go through school triumphant. Instead, it was the thousand small things: having extra time to finish a test, or turn in assignments if needed, having someone who asks if I did my homework, being able to type out assignments instead of putting pen to paper, getting voice typing when even the typing was a challenge, getting a place where I could rest within the school, a place where I could find others like me.
Each year, my need for support has diminished, just a bit. I rarely use my extended time, and when I do, it is only for a few minutes. I still type my assignments, the clicking of the chromebook feeling more comfortable and swifter than any pencil. But now, the voice typing, once a constant in any classroom I was in, has gone all but silent, only used to find the elusive spelling of some words. Even the Resource class, once a vital component of my school day, disappeared after Sophomore year so I could fit more AP classes into my schedule.
I still struggle sometimes, losing myself in countless intriguing thoughts, leaving the here and now behind. I remember, the day I wrote this, passing through almost an entire chorus class without remembering what I was doing, my mind creating the outline for a story while my body moved on autopilot, singing alongside dozens of others even as my brain barely recognized the existence of the symphony all around me. My other flaws from that time remain, even through the years. But I am better, and I still improve, day by day. Comparing what I was before to now, there is no contest. And GTLD is still there to help me along the way.
Starting GPA: 3.57
Current GPA: 3.29
Services Received:
I focused my outside services on mental health and wellness. I was enrolled and graduated from the Heartwood DBT program.
Plans After High School:
My plans for the future at the moment is to go to college or go to community college, do two years there, get my required classes done, and then transfer. I’m also researching some small liberal arts colleges at the moment. I am also currently enrolled in SAT prep course.
Plan for using this award money:
I recently went to the college fair at WJ and learned about essay writing prep, so I’d definitely put money to that so I could be best prepared when it comes to writing my official essay. I’m currently enrolled in a SAT prep course and could use the funds for additional prep if needed.
Tell us about your experience:
Over the years, I’ve learned how to advocated for myself when needed, since getting extra support it has given me the confidence to step out of my comfort zone. My IEP hasn’t just supported me academically but also mentally, I‚Äôve been able to stay in class, use my flash pass when needed, and stay in school.
Starting GPA: 3.15
Current GPA: 3.55
Services Received:
No extra services
Plans After High School:
I’d like to major in education and become a teacher after high school, ideally in elementary.
Plan for using this award money:
I’d like to use the money for college tuition and required school supplies at montgomery college.
Tell us about your experience:
I feel like I have a better handle on organization and taking the initiative since I’ve been enrolled. I’ve also improved on completing deadlines by the required date without needing extended time for simple tasks. I think the program has overall been helpful tool for my education.
Starting GPA: 9/1/2014
Current GPA: 1
Services Received:
smaller class, tutoring help
Plans After High School:
go to engineering program of a college
Plan for using this award money:
I will invest in my aquarium project. I am building an eco-friendly prototype of aquarium tank
Tell us about your experience:
I felt this is the exact program that helped me.