Monday, August 18, 2014

Great ADDitudes

I'm a senior in college.

Wow. I can't believe how easy that was to type. Before the summer started, I was petrified to be a senior in college. One more year before the "real world", but also one more year to succeed. One more year to push myself and get some results to bring to graduate school. I am planning on going to grad school, but not before I make my mark at Gettysburg College. Not before I do something I've wanted to do since I was in 6th grade. 


I have a learning disability. It's taken me a long time to be able to say that because of fear. Fear of being made fun off, laughed at, people being skeptical and saying that I'm either overreacting, I'm just plain lazy or stupid. I have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Yup, the one that everyone makes jokes about. "Aw man, I totally have ADD." Or the one that makes doctors worry about giving medication to college students who need it to keep track of their academics because these medications are some of the highest abused substances on college campuses. It's a constant battle with myself to stay on my game but also a constant struggle against a society that either overcapitalizes ADHD or doesn't truly understand it. However, having a learning disability in an academic setting makes studying, doing homework, doing research, even reading a simple book difficult. It has taken me three years at Gettysburg College to realize that hey, it's okay to struggle. Understanding and working with my struggles is the way to succeed, not pushing them out and fighting the fuzz. I've been so successful since I've switched my mentality over from ignoring it to working it, so why can't I share this with the world? With the College?

When I was just diagnosed, I felt very alone. I was the only one I knew that got to have special 'candies' that helped keep my mouth from being dry when I first started medication. I was the only one who couldn't keep my desk straight, who always had a notebook and pencil just in case a story idea popped into my head. But was I actually alone? Was there anyone else struggling like I was?

I asked the school counselor if we could start a ADHD support group. I was only 11 or 12, so the idea just kept coming back over and over. I wanted to start a support group somewhere. But just as my blog post "Scatterbrained" (http://emmalinerose1863.blogspot.com/2013/11/scatterbrain.html) says, I let my ADHD go and handled it as best I could. When I got to college, everything changed. I felt alone again. Overwhelmed by classwork, homework, even socializing! I couldn't handle it all until I decided to go back on medication. It completely changed my life. But freshman year turned into sophomore and junior year where my symptoms began to come back and I felt lost. I couldn't handle everything. Instead of changing, I froze. But was anyone else feeling like this? Was there anyone else that struggled like me? Why couldn't we all come together?

This is when my support group called "Great ADDitudes" popped into my head. I had recently followed and signed up for ADDitudes at http://www.additudemag.com while I was in England to try to get my life back under control. I was amazed at how the little things, some occasional changes impacted my life. I was better organized. I got my work done. I even felt included.


 I wasn't the only one.

Going to a private liberal arts college is hard, especially one that advertises as a "highly selective" one. The pressure is high, the workload can feel overwhelming, but guess what? You're not alone! Students with learning disabilities need to know that they are not alone. There are others who are feeling the same way. And why not bring them all together? Why not share our stories? Discuss differences and possible solutions together. How cool would that be?

So I've already started the process of "Great ADDitudes", a student group at Gettysburg College for students with ADHD and other learning disabilities open for support, discussions on symptoms and treatment ideas but more importantly, a place for students who struggle every day to come together to feel welcome and supported. No one should feel embarrassed or ashamed of having a learning disability. They should feel welcomed and supported.

Any Gettysburg College student that happens to read this, come support your fellow students. Learn about what it's like fighting "the fuzz". Let these fellow classmates know that they're not pushed aside, forgotten or even disregarded by others. 


 We're all Gettysburg Great, even with something ADDed