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I can remember the first time
I realized something was wrong.

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I can remember the first time
I was told I have dyslexia.

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I can remember being
in first or second grade

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when my teacher pulled me
off the hallway into a small classroom.

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She sat me down and she put
five magnetic letters on the board.

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And she said: "Piper read this to me.
What do these five letters say?"

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And I looked at it, 
and I kept staring at it, and I said:

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"I'm not really sure what that says."

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She said "Okay, that's okay,
but that's your name."

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I remember this feeling
like it happened this morning.

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I can assure you my face went beet red.

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I was beyond embarrassed
that at that very moment

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I couldn't even read my own name.

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I can remember in the following year
when my Mom picked me up

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from the house
where I went for tutoring.

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The tutor came outside and said,

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"Mary Beth, I need you
to work with Piper on sequencing.

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She's still not understanding
what makes up a dollar.

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Here's four quarters just sit her down
and keep singing the dollar song."

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So as soon as we got home
we sat at the table

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and we said it together
four or five times.

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Twenty-five, fifty,
seventy-five, a dollar.

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And then it was my turn 
to repeat it back.

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Twenty-five, fifty --?

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Piper, twenty-five, fifty,
seventy-five, a dollar. Try again.

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Twenty-five, fifty --

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Piper it's just four things.

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Twenty-five, fifty,
seventy-five, a dollar.

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I can remember how
having dyslexia affected me

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from Elementary School to Middle School.

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I can remember being under the impression

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that I had to master certain
aspects of school and overcome this.

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I thought it was the only way.

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From first grade to eight grade
I was taken out of normal regular classes

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to be taught in a different way.

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In fourth grade I was told I wouldn't
be able to take a foreign language.

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In sixth grade
I was told it was essential

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to master my multiplication facts
in order to continue.

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I did everything I could to try
to graduate out of these programs

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they were putting me in.

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I knew I couldn't learn
like the rest of you,

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but all I wanted to do was be in
the normal conventional classes with you.

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But as I sat there in my pink dress 
and flowered headband,

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I just didn't want to be different.

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I can remember fighting
to get out of these classrooms.

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My parents helped me
in every way they could

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to get me educated outside
of the Cape Elizabeth School System.

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I was repeatedly IQ tested because
my results didn't make sense.

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It would come back in Superior Excellence
in numerous categories.

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It really just came down
to the fact that my brain worked

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in completely different ways than others.

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Come eighth grade, I saw one
final doctor for one final IQ test.

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And his only conclusion,
give the girl a calculator and a dictionary.

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After about a dozen meetings
with my parents, teachers,

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instructional support advisors
and even the administration

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I finally heard
exactly what I wanted to hear,

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As long as you maintain
your grades and advocate for yourself

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you can graduate
from the Instructional Support Program.

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Even when I graduated
it's not like this all just went away.

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Every single day I'm reminded
that I still have dyslexia.

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For example, this summer I worked
on the food truck, Mainely Burgers.

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Being the cashier and taking
people's burger orders.

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I spelled onions "U-N-I-O-N-S".

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And it wasn't until about
three weeks later

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that the boys finally started to say

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"Piper, did he want
unions on that burger?"

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(Laughter)

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Or, "Piper, did Mary order a large
union ring or a small union ring?"

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(Laughter)

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Sometimes I call my best friend Chelsea,

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ask her how to spell
one word and hang up.

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Spell Check never knows
what I'm trying to say.

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And my SAT scores.
Those were fun.

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When the May SATs rolled around,
I took them once with no prep

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and my scores came
back and I got a 1350.

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I immediately called my Mom, 
my Dad, my brother

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and cried to them about my 1350.

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Not one school I was looking into
accepted scores remotely around a 1350.

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So for the second SATs
I did two hours of prep

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three times a week
with a one-on-one tutor for a month.

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And my scores came
back and I got a 1350.

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Thirteen fifty was my destiny.

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And most recently I was writing a letter

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to thank a college professor
for meeting with me.

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Just about four or five sentences.

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I wrote them once
on a sticky note, revised it.

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Wrote it again on
a sticky note, revised it.

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Then I circled words,
which looked like they were misspelled,

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and Google searched them.

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Then I wrote the letter in pencil
on the card, wrote over it in pen.

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That was the process it took
for just four to five sentences.

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I used to put so much time and energy
in trying to overcome my dyslexia.

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But when I arrived at High School
enough was enough.

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I realized it wasn't going to be important
for me to master thing like

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my multiplication facts,
my ability in a foreign language

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and figuring out why I couldn't
comprehend these books I was reading.

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What was important
is that I found what I loved to do

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and strengthened what I enjoyed.

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I found so much enjoyment in working.

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I worked at my Mom's furniture store,
I babysat,

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and I even volunteered 
on the Cape Elizabeth ambulance.

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I found enjoyment in organizing events.

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Helping to create
one of the most memorable proms

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and even helped plan the event
that you are sitting in right now.

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And most recently, I found that my
creative brain is the one that suits me best.

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This past summer I completed 250 hours
of artwork at the Maine College of Art.

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And when I arrived for my senior year,

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I dropped math, science
and a foreign language.

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I found my passion
and at this very moment I'm pursuing it.

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Next Fall I will be attending
Savannah College of Art & Design

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majoring in Accessory Design
and minoring in Business.

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My challenge for each of you today
is to find what you love,

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find what you enjoy and pursue it.

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Work hard, eat well,
and fall in love with everything.

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Thank you.

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(Applause) (Cheering)