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I'm here to open your minds.

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Can anyone guess what I have in common[br]with this drawing of an elephant?

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Maybe the eyes, the ears, the posture?

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The true message I'm trying to connect[br]with this drawing of an elephant

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is a child with a learning disability.

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Many people see the colors or patterns,

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but from what I connect

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is how a child with a learning disability[br]thinks or reacts to life.

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Attention deficit disorder, or ADD,

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which I was technically born with,

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but at the age of nine,[br]I was fully diagnosed.

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Now, the real topic at hand

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is children in classes right now[br]with learning disabilities,

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molded into the idea[br]of the "perfect student."

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Now, my idea of perfect[br]is not having to attend class

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or do homework.

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But there's no such thing as perfect.

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(Laughter)

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One in seven Americans is noted to have[br]some type of learning disability.

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Now, facts are facts,

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but what I'm trying to talk about[br]is more than just stating facts,

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it is supporting creativity.

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Creativity such like art, cooking,[br]dance, theater, and so much more.

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What I have noticed is

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that kids with learning disabilities[br]have creativity oozing out of them.

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Well, not like physically oozing,[br]but like mentally oozing.

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We, as a society, should not try to fix[br]a child with a learning disability.

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We, as a society, should try to support[br]a child with a learning disability.

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It is scientifically proven that people[br]that allow their creative powers to flow

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are, actually, happier in life.

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Creativity wants to come out[br]of kids with learning disabilities,

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but they have never had[br]the proper understanding or teaching

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that allows them to grasp[br]who they really are.

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Now, I might sell myself[br]a little bit here,

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if that's alright with all of you guys.

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So, may I please have a drum roll?

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(Applause)

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Now, this is what I truly got on my ACT.

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A little old 19.

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Now, in order to be "average," they say,[br]you have to have at least a 21 or higher.

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So, I guess I'm not average.

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Much like the elephant with its curves,[br]colors, and patterns,

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I can't be labeled by one thing.

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I've always told lies[br]about my score on my ACT,

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but why be scared of the talent[br]that I know I have inside myself?

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That elephant tells more about myself[br]than any grade or score can ever do.

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I'm a senior that's been[br]through a lot of crap,

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but next year, this elephant[br]is going to DePaul University.

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(Applause)

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Now, I know DePaul isn't Harvard,[br]but it's my Harvard,

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because I know a score doesn't determine[br]my own success in life.

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I determine my own success in life.

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(Applause)

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Times have changed in major ways.

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We need to think outside the box[br]of education for children.

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The younger generation needs to see[br]the classroom as a map over a jail cell.

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Teachers should support and celebrate[br]children who learn differently,

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support the mistakes,[br]encourage the failures.

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That's the only way to truly learn.

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Creativity is in our future.

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Are you guys open to it?

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Thank you very much.