About Us

I am blessed with dyslexia, but I didn’t always feel that way.

I remember standing in front of my third grade Language Arts class, hearing the giggles
and smirks echoing in my ears, my stomach churning, and tears welling up. For me, the words on
the page didn’t make sense. Fantastic Mr. Fox might as well have been written in Mandarin. Ms.
Kim saw my panic, and without missing a beat, she jumped in. Pretending to be Mr. Fox, and we
finished reading together. I didn’t realize it then, but she would have an everlasting effect on my
life.

We met every morning before school for three years using the Orton-Gillingham
approach. It turns out I cannot discern phonemes, distinct sounds represented by specific letters. I
can hear the sounds, but sometimes I can’t translate them to letters on the page. Although reading
felt like an impossible feat, Ms. Kim never let me doubt my intelligence. Sure, kids snickered,
making me feel sad, and having a younger brother who was a rock star reader didn’t help, but
slowly, with a lot of determination, reading began to click. The first time I felt like a reader was
during my eighth social science presentation on Hernando de Soto. As I read the words aloud, I
was simultaneously thinking, “I’m doing it!” It was an incredible moment.

I had many great days like that until freshman year when the reality of a more rigorous
academic course load hit me. I had deluded myself into thinking I had outgrown dyslexia and, in
a split second, all the insecurities from my childhood came rushing back. I was struggling again
and I needed a plan. I worked with my tutor, Mrs. Copeland, to develop better study habits; I
overcame fears of asking for help and dedicated extra time to studying by eliminating some activities.                                                                                     The plan worked, with perseverance and hard work I was able to made the honor roll ever since!

That summer, I started searching for a meaningful internship where I could give back to
my community. I was concerned because the options in my small rural mountain town can be
limited. As luck would have it, I ran into Ms. Kim at the local coffee shop. It had been a while
since we talked. As we laughed and shared stories, she spoke about her non-profit and how I was
her inspiration for founding Steamboat Reading. It took a moment for her words to sink in.
Wow, I had made as significant an impact on her life as she did mine. I knew that relationships
are collaborative, but I never thought of myself as inspiring.

As she discussed her mission, every word resonated with me; “I thought to myself, I
understand those challenges; I’ve had those struggles; I’m those kids!” Right then and there, Ms.
Kim and I joined forces again, this time with me as a student ambassador and mentor. The
following week I was working one on one with students. My first student was Oliver, a tenacious
fourth-grader who was small in stature but mighty in personality. It became apparent early on
that I would need a clever approach to engage Oliver. In an effort to build my relationship with
Oliver, I shared personal stories. His favorite was my “How I survived reading aloud.” I would
count the kids ahead of me, count the paragraphs in the book, read “my” section over and over,
hoping to memorize it before my turn and all the time praying I counted correctly. My music and
stories helped me teach Oliver how to read, and he helped me discover the joy of serving others.

Thanks to a village of people, I’ve been able to thrive, and more importantly, I’m helping
others appreciate that thinking differently is a positive asset.