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Volume 21
International Journal of Emergency Mental
Health and Human Resilience
ISSN: 1522-4821
Mental Health 2019
March 07-08, 2019
March 07-08, 2019 | Barcelona, Spain
5
th
International Conference on
Mental Health and Human Resilience
I am just a kid with an IEP LLC
Jordan Toma
USA
I
believe I have a strong and inspiring message for young students with learning disabilities. My story is geared
towards 8th grade to high school students their parents and teachers or anyone that has ever struggled in school or
in life. My life has been a roller-coaster with this “Learning Disability” and I let it control my confidence and outlook
on life for the first 18 years. I let it define me - it became a permanent label stuck to my shirt every day. I will give you
an idea of what I mean. You know when you are attending a conference and they give you a name tag to pin to your
shirt? As far as I was concerned, I had a permanent name tag. But mine said “You’re not as smart as everyone else.
You can’t do this”. This happened to me because of my experience in school and it grew roots into everything I did.
I would feel helpless in class. I struggled to understand why I couldn’t just pick up information like everyone else. I
remember sitting in class telling myself I am going to try really hard to understand everything in class today just like
everyone else and be a normal student, but I just couldn’t grasp it! I was made fun of because sometimes I had to have
special lessons. Other students, even so-called “friends” called me dumb.
I let this problem control me until I graduated in 2008. I was accepted into a life changing program called Step
Ahead at Centenary University. I remember moving in filled with fear and anxiety. I went into the bathroom looked
at myself in the mirror and promised myself I was going to change. I knew I couldn’t let this label last forever. After
that I started building a foundation of confidence and belief in myself brick by brick. It has brought me to where I
am today. This journey has just started for me but now I believe it’s time to help young students that can relate to my
story. My objective is to create the foundations of the belief, the confidence, the work ethic and everything that you
need to become the best you can be now and not let anything ever get in your way.
jordan@jordantoma.comInt J Emerg Ment Health 2019, Volume 21
DOI: 10.4172/1522-4821-C1-027