Redefining Disability: Aurora Le '19
I’ve put off writing this blog more times than I can actually count. I’ve procrastinated to a degree that I’m positive only I am capable of, formulated a multitude of excuses (all of which sounded bad, even to me), even went to the gym one night instead of sitting and writing. And it’s not because I don’t enjoy writing (I do), or because I’m just that incredibly lazy (at least, I don’t think so).
It’s because I have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, more commonly known as ADHD, as well as something called Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or GAD. ADHD “is a highly genetic, brain-based syndrome that has to do with the regulation of a particular set of brain functions and related behaviors... [such as] attention, concentration, memory,” while GAD is a disability in which the people who suffer from it “experience excessive anxiety and worry, often expecting the worst even when there is no apparent reason for concern”. (Super fun, right?) Essentially, my brain is a computer with a million tabs open, and I can never narrow down which tab to focus on, or which tab to close, and when I do figure it out, I tend to shut down because of my anxiety. For years, I have viewed these two disabilities as aspects of myself that I should be ashamed of, but this past week, I learned how to view my disabilities as strengths, rather than weaknesses. For the first time since I was diagnosed, I learned how to accept and own who I am, thanks to something called the Lime Connect Fellowship program.
The Lime Connect Fellowship program is a program designed for highly accomplished rising college juniors with disabilities. This program is organized by Lime Connect, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to “rebrand disability through achievement.” It begins with a week-long Leadership and Development Symposium, sponsored by some of the world’s leading corporations such as Microsoft, Facebook, Google, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Unilever, Bloomberg, and pwc. Last week, I had the honor and the privilege of being flown out to attend this symposium in New York City.
Our program officially kicked off with a picturesque cocktail hour and dinner on a yacht on the Hudson River as we circled the Statue of Liberty and watched the sun set upon the water. The next few days were chock full of identifying our strengths as individuals, interactive workshops, networking receptions and dinners, and roundtable discussions on leadership and how to navigate disability at work, school, and in life. Though all of the days and events within the Symposium were eye-opening and resourceful, there’s one evening in particular that has especially left its mark on me. Thursday night of the Symposium, the other fellows and I listened to a panel of representatives from our corporate partners. Each representative gave a first-hand account of their own corporate cultures, career paths, and opportunities at their companies, and stuck around to answer any questions we had. After the panel, there was a formal reception and dinner at Brasserie 8½ in Manhattan, where we had the chance to network with, and build further relationships with any of our partners. There, I was able to speak to many of the partners and exchange some powerful stories on our lives and the challenges we have had to navigate as leaders with disabilities.
I can’t really explain how much it meant to hear some of these amazing, established corporate leaders speak about living, but more importantly thriving, with a disability. I’d never thought of my disabilities as possible strengths until I listened to a representative from Microsoft speak about how her anxiety has shaped her into a more hardworking, more detail-oriented professional, or how her muscular dystrophy has helped her to be more inclusive, and self-aware of others and the personal struggles they may be going through. Thanks to her story, and the stories of so many others, for the first time ever, I felt empowered through my disabilities.
Between all of the days of the Symposium, I learned more than I could ever have hoped to ask for about leadership and professional development. But most importantly, I learned how to accept who I am: not as a “disabled individual,” but as an individual who just so happens to have a disability. And as I reflect back on my experience, I now see that I have never quite realized how fortunate I’ve been to attend a school like Saint Mary's— an institution that is wholeheartedly devoted to establishing and maintaining a community of inclusivity and acceptance, a community where clubs and programs such as DiverseAbilities and PREP exist, but more importantly, thrive on campus.
Living with GAD, I’ve found that I am almost always stressed out about my future. Because of this, it’s been a constant challenge for me to “live in the moment,” to appreciate my truthfully blessed life in its current state. But as I reflect today on the past week, I realize that today's a little bit different. Today, I am grateful. Grateful for the Symposium that taught me that it is okay to be different, to be wonderfully unique in my own way, grateful for the new, accepting community that Lime Connect has provided me with in New York, but more importantly, grateful for the community I get to come home to—Saint Mary's.
Sources
https://add.org/adhd-facts/
http://www.limeconnect.com/about/