When did you start at Hamilton 

I came in 5th grade

When did you graduate?

I graduated from Hamilton 8th grade in 2014 and went on to graduate from Wheeler in 2018.

Talk to me about your learning differences.

I’m dyslexic and ADHD. ADHD has been less of a focus for me because I’ve had success with medication and building a system of organization and time management that works for me. With my dyslexia, it has really been the focus for me from when I first had to read out loud as a kid. My lower reading level was something I had to work on. When I saw a word I’d never seen before, I felt like there was nothing I could do to read it. I couldn’t break it down. And on the mental side of things, I felt like I couldn’t succeed and that I didn’t have any potential. 

What changed for you when you started at Hamilton?

Most of all, I started learning confidence and also breaking down those unfamiliar words. At Hamilton, my teachers identified what parts of my foundation were missing, and they helped me develop those skills and get me up to speed. I’m not sure that anyone anywhere else would have been able to help me like that. But, honestly, I finally had teachers who believed in me. My fifth-grade teacher, Ms. Stevenson, started by saying, here are the things you’re good at, and here’s how we’re going to help you develop those things. She recognized that I was better at talking things through. That established the foundation for me finding Model UN in high school, a major turning point for me. Model UN was the first time I ever won an award in my life, and I had a way to be recognized finally and be okay with my learning differences. Hamilton just made me feel good. Hamilton gave me my wings. 

If there’s one thing you could tell current Hamilton students, what would it be?

There’s a moment when things are going to click for you. And right now, things might feel like a struggle. You learn so much from struggling, and you’re going to be better off than everyone else who didn’t go through this struggle. I see people in college having breakdowns because they’ve never been challenged by school. But right now, you are being equipped with so many tools to help you. You’re already so much better off for that. You are learning how to work in a system that wasn’t designed for a brain like yours. You’re going to do great.

Where do you attend college, what’s your concentration?

I’m a third-year at Northeastern, concentrating in marketing analytics and political science, international affairs. My program is five years because it includes two co-ops where I have the chance to work full time and see what’s out there. My first co-op was with the brand marketing team at SharkNinja. I’m in my second co-op now with Boston Beer Company. I do a lot of data-related marketing, analyzing social behaviors, and developing marketing campaigns. If you watched the Super Bowl, my team worked on the commercial “Your Cousin From Boston.” I’m hoping to land a job with Boston Beer Company, something along the associate brand manager lines. 

What else are you up to?

I’m an appointed official for my town in New Hampshire, on the Town of Sunapee Energy Committee. We’re working on a solar farm project. Right now, we’re mostly working on selecting a contractor and navigating state grants. 

Anything else to add?

I’m so grateful for my time at Hamilton. I feel like I have good self-awareness and an ability to advocate for myself. Those are both rooted in being taught to appreciate my learning differences and my learning style. I feel lucky for that. 

What grade did you enter, Hamilton?

In 2nd grade, I would have been eight years old at the time.

When did you leave Hamilton/graduate?

5th grade was my last year of Hamilton. I transferred to Wheeler to start middle school.

Talk to me about your learning difference(s).

I’m dyslexic. Due to my difficulty learning to read, I had to repeat kindergarten. I remember not understanding why my friends moved on to the next grade while I was held back. I made little progress in learning to read over the next two years. Each day my parents grew increasingly terrified for the future of their son. How could he survive in the world if he couldn’t even learn the foundational skill of reading? Luckily, my parents found Hamilton, and soon after starting in 2nd grade, my experience with dyslexia changed forever.

What changed for you at Hamilton?

Everything. While it is extraordinary, Hamilton’s real magic is not helping students overcome the challenges they face academically. The real magic is that Hamilton helps students overcome the challenges they are to face in life. The environment at Hamilton is crafted to ensure each student knows that despite their learning difference, they are not worth any less than their peers. Instead, they are taught the truth that their learning differences offer them a unique perspective on life. This mindset is the foundation that allows Hamilton students to go on to build their lives. Hamilton inspires spirit-healing confidence in so many people who may have otherwise only seen themselves as broken.

If there’s one thing you could share with a current Hamilton student, what would it be?

Find the value and beauty in the unique perspective that your learning difference gives you.

Where did you attend college? What was your major? Advanced degree?

I’m currently an undergraduate student at New York University, where I study Psychology, Entrepreneurship, and Creativity. Ironic as it may seem for a person with dyslexia to say this, I’m particularly interested in the groundbreaking research on how the human brain uses words to understand the world.

What do you do professionally?

I’m not sure yet, but I believe it will be either entrepreneurial, scientific, or artistic. I think these are the creative areas that highlight my dyslexic qualities most.

In high school at Wheeler, I created a clothing company that was showcased at New York Fashion Week my senior year. Soon after, I got signed to one of the most prestigious modeling agencies in NYC. These experiences were far from a high school student’s traditional experiences, but I found them life-changing and invaluable. I owe Hamilton for giving me the confidence needed to follow my untraditional brain so that it could shine in untraditional ways.

What about your career do you find most fulfilling/interesting?

My past ventures in entrepreneurship have been full of unique challenges that require outside-the-box thinking and creativity to solve. I feel the proclivity for problem-solving is inherently developed in anyone who has had to overcome a learning difference in their youth. This creative quality bodes well in the obstacle-ridden world of entrepreneurship, science, and art, and it is one I find most fulfilling and interesting in my own life.

Do you use any assistive technology in your personal or professional life?

Absolutely! My phone allows me to enjoy podcasts and audiobooks and to record and transcribe important conversations. Professionally, each of my entrepreneurial ventures has been heavily reliant on leveraging technology to create something of value. 

Anything else you want to mention?

If at any time there is a young entrepreneur at Hamilton who would like to talk, I’d be honored to have the opportunity.

What grade did you enter, Hamilton?
5th grade

When did you leave Hamilton/graduate?
I graduated from Hamilton in 2000 and went on to finish Wheeler.

Talk to me about your learning difference(s).
I was diagnosed with dyslexia in the 4th grade. Leading up to that time, I was having difficulty learning to read and was struggling to keep up in classes. Once my parents and I found out I was dyslexic, we searched for a school that would give me the tools to find success in the classroom and beyond. Dyslexia was explained to me in a way that made me feel special. They told me that many people think in straight lines, so A, B, C, etc., while you many think more circuitously, A, Q, P, and then back to B. My teachers explained that on this thinking journey, I might discover things I wouldn’t have thought of if I had thought in that straight line.

What changed for you at Hamilton?
When I started 5th grade, I could not read consistently. But by December, I was reading on grade level. This was due to my patient teachers and also being introduced to Orton-Gillingham (OG). I quickly gained confidence and started to learn how to learn in a way that worked for me.

If there’s one thing you could share with a current Hamilton student, what would it be?
Everyone struggles at times, and we all will have hard work put in front of us at some point. You are lucky to start learning strategies to work through challenges at a young age. I know that I am a hard worker in life and have achieved what I have because I am “a worker,” and I love that about myself.

Where did you attend college? What was your major? Advanced degree?
Butler University, BA in Dance Pedagogy.

What do you do professionally?
Dance teacher and Choreographer at Wheeler and Hamilton.

What about your career do you find most fulfilling/interesting?
Dance has been my lifelong passion. I feel grateful that I can teach students something that I love. I find it very rewarding to teach Hamilton students because movement can unlock all kinds of brain pathways and emotions in the body.

Do you use any assistive technology in your personal or professional life?
I use Audible for personal reading. When taking notes during long rehearsals, my colleagues use a notepad, but I always use a computer. I do this to get my ideas out of my head at the pace that I am thinking of them.

Anything else you want to be mentioned??
Dyslexia was not a roadblock in my life. It may have been a detour, but in hindsight, I am grateful for the challenges and understand myself better for all the work I put into myself.

What grade did you enter Hamilton School?
I entered Hamilton in the First Grade.

What was it that brought you to Hamilton?
I was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD in kindergarten at my local elementary school and through a private evaluation at Pawtucket Memorial Hospital. By the middle of first grade, while receiving daily resource services and not making progress with reading,  coupled with headaches and avoidance of homework, my parents learned about Hamilton. I started private tutoring with the Orton Gillingham Approach as recommended by the Hamilton School, which yielded positive results in a short time. My family decided to send me to Hamilton, where I would repeat first grade, and attend through middle school.

Talk to us about your learning difference.
I am diagnosed with Dyslexia and ADHD.

What changed for you at Hamilton?
Hamilton provided me with the skills and confidence to not only manage to live with learning differences but how to leverage them as a positive.

If there was one thing that you could share with a current Hamilton student, what would it be?
It is okay to learn and think differently.

What are some of the long term values of a Hamilton education?
I think Hamilton helped instill a sense of understanding and empathy, making me more aware of the challenges we all face, and a willingness to take those challenges on.

Where did you attend college, and what was your major?
I attended Assumption College in Worcester, MA, graduating in 2013 with a B.A in History and Philosophy. I obtained my M.A in History, double concentration in American, and Modern European History from Providence College in 2016.

What do you do professionally?
I work in claims for Travelers Insurance, specifically handling auto subrogation. Additionally, I serve on the City Council in Cranston, RI, representing the 3rd Ward.

What is it about your career that you find fulfilling/ interesting?
Whether it’s working in claims and helping reunite people with a deductible and lost expenses, or advocating for a more just and equitable community, every day I have the opportunity to help others.

Are you part of any other clubs/organizations or boards that you would like mentioned here?
In addition to serving on the Cranston City Council, I am also a member of the Cranston Health Equity Zone (HEZ). The Cranston HEZ is a resident-driven initiative aimed at addressing the root causes of health disparities in the Arlington, Stadium, and Laurel Hill neighborhoods.

What grade did you enter Hamilton School?
I entered Hamilton in the Second Grade. I’d just finished Second Grade at a Montessori school, and Jon Green and (retired teacher) Linda Atamian felt it was best that I repeat the grade. Thank goodness. It was 100% the right decision. 

What was it that brought you to Hamilton?
Dyslexia, ADD, and ADHD. More significantly, my parents, teachers, and tutors at the Montessori school realized I needed more specialized support than they could provide. I couldn’t read or keep up in class. I think I was a bright, intelligent student, but reading was like gazing at Chinese.

Talk to us about your learning difference.
What is there to say? Dyslexia, ADD, and ADHD. I’ve got a mixed bag, and I never know which is driving a particular issue. My spelling still sucks, but I manage to be a newspaper editor. I’m scatterbrained but don’t take meds. I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it anymore; it’s just part of me. So are my coping mechanisms. 

What changed for you at Hamilton?
Everything. I’d be a bad carpenter without Hamilton. There’s no way I would be able to read. More importantly, they taught me how to learn. Those two fundamental skills have helped me explore, challenge, and shape my own life.

If there was one thing that you could share with a current Hamilton student, what would it be?
Have fun. Ask questions. The staff, teachers, students, everyone- are incredibly supportive, and it’s a special community that will go above and beyond to help and support. Take advantage of that every day. Make teachers stay late if you have more questions. Keep pushing, keep trying, but say thank you. 

What are some of the long term values of a Hamilton education?
Reading and writing…and typing? A desire and joy in learning. Self-Confidence and self-awareness about the best ways I need to be supported. How to pursue and fulfill those needs so that I’m positioned to be successful.

Where did you attend college, and what was your major?
My undergrad education was at Hobart and William Smith. I double-majored in English and American Studies with a concentration in Early Modern Literature (Shakespeare).  My Master’s Degree is from The Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. It’s a degree in Digital Media and Management.

What do you do professionally?
I’m the Digital Editor at The Providence Journal.

What is it about your career that you find fulfilling/ interesting?
Stories. I’ve always loved stories even when I was little. Now I get to help tell dozens of stories every day. It’s chaotic, disorganized, and random things are zinging around the newsroom all the time. Stories need to go online RIGHT NOW; others take weeks or months. No two stories are the same.

It’s a lot like ADD. But at the end of the day, we are helping Rhode Islanders stay informed, make smart decisions, and sharing the humanity of our state. That’s an important role.

What grade did you enter Hamilton School?
Halfway through First Grade.

What was it that brought you to Hamilton?
I was struggling at Wheeler in most of my classes, which initiated the conversation between my teachers and parents about getting a psych-ed evaluation. From there, Hamilton was the obvious choice.

What changed for you at Hamilton?
I am dyslexic and ADD. I often liken my education at Hamilton to learning English as a second language. In high school, college, and beyond, I realized the foundational understanding of English grammar and spelling mechanics I gained at Hamilton far surpassed the support many of my peers received in their elementary and middle schools. 

If there was one thing that you could share with a current Hamilton student, what would it be?
Everything negative about Hamilton (perhaps feelings of being put in a box, separated from peers, etc.) is temporary. Everything positive about Hamilton (your connections with teachers, the tricks you learn, the academic growth) is permanent and will impact you throughout your educational and professional career.

What are some of the long term values of a Hamilton education?
Hamilton taught me the value of hard work, to always keep my eyes on the prize and not get discouraged by obstacles. The inclusive, welcoming environment was crucial in destigmatizing my learning disability. Maybe the most critical thing I learned at Hamilton was that not only is it okay to be dyslexic, but it’s something to take pride in.

Where did you attend college, and what was your major?
Connecticut College, Studio Art (Graphic Design and Drawing)

What do you do professionally?
Despite my learning disability and my college degree, I am a writer. As the Associate Director of Stewardship Communications in the Development Office at Mass General Hospital, I manage the custom acknowledgment program.

What is it about your career that you find fulfilling/ interesting?
I’ve always felt giving back was very important, and that sentiment was fostered throughout my Hamilton and Wheeler education. Having been in educational fundraising since college, the shift to healthcare has been fascinating. I feel privileged to be in a role where I learn and write about new and groundbreaking initiatives in medical research and clinical care every day.