As a toddler, I believed that my name was “Hurricane Bekah”, because that is what most of my family called me.  I was very smart and very busy. When I was three years old, my mother had me tested for PPCD.  The examiner with the school district explained to me that I needed to stay in my seat so that they could perform the tests.  I knew that I did not want to stay in one place, but I needed to do what I was told, so I proceeded to put my hands on the sides of the chair and began walking around while never taking my rear out of the seat. The examiner told my mother I was a very smart little girl.

          At the end of my first grade year, I was passed over for an award for making honor roll all year because of my behavior. At this time, I had only been diagnosed with ADHD and the doctors were still working with my medication to stabilize me. I cried for days, because I knew that I should have received that award just like all the other children who had worked hard and made the honor roll.                  During this time, my Mom took me to many different doctors and nurses that I came to respect as I got older.  I also came into contact with many other children with disabilities. Some of the children were just like me and others were more severe. As early as elementary school, I found that my favorite place in the whole school was in the nurse's offices or talking with the teachers in the Life skills classes. I began volunteering to work with these students.  I would assist getting them where they needed to go, helping feed them, or just talking to them. 

          I began to realize that I had a purpose somewhere and by the third grade, I was not only making Honor Roll, but I was receiving Citizenship awards for my behavior and for helping other students. I saw that there were people who were different and they needed to be recognized too.

         In junior high, it became clear to me why I could relate to people with disabilities and I used my new found knowledge to help others overcome some of the challenges I had been facing since kindergarten.  

         When I was 12, I was diagnosed with Asperger. Asperger affects people in many different ways. There are individuals that are that fall all over the Autism Spectrum, but we all have difficulties and challenges that we face that come with our diagnosis. I have had to work harder, live on medication, be an outcast in social environments, and have had people take advantage of me because of my disability. However, I have never let this rob my joy for life. I am here for a purpose. 

           Academics has been my window to a normal life. I have been able to succeed through hard work, discipline, and consistency. My inner drive has made it possible for me to overcome the challenges I have had to face along the way. I have lived with my diagnosis my entire life, but I have not let it stop me. I give 100 % to everything I do and I don’t lose sight of my goals even when life knocks me down. I believe that my diagnosis will help me to be able to reach more people and be an inspiration to the students that I work with as a Special Educator.