A student hated reading for years.
asserted
student → hat → years
Her podcast explores finding the right diagnosis
A student hated reading for years.
asserted
student → explore → years
Her podcast explores finding the right diagnosis
LONG ISLAND, N.Y. — Cora Walsh walks home from middle school every day.
asserted
Walsh → explore → school
It's only a few tree-lined blocks in Rockville Centre on Long Island, but the movement helps clear her head of the school day.
asserted
movement → line → day
She probably thinks about how the brain works more than most seventh-graders.
asserted
brain → think → graders
"I want to be a doctor," she says.
asserted
I → want → ?
"And I want to go to Princeton and major in neuroscience."
asserted
I → want → neuroscience
Her fascination started a few years ago when she was struggling to figure out what was happening in her own head.
"
asserted
what → start → head
It's kind of confusing what it is like in my brain," she says.
asserted
she → say → brain
All she knew back then was that reading was hard.
asserted
reading → know → ?
Even when she spent more time working on it than her friends, she could never reach their level.
uncertain
she → spend → level
Like millions of Americans, Cora has dyslexia, but it took her almost five years to get the correct diagnosis.
asserted
it → have → diagnosis
Her podcast about the journey to understanding her own mind is the grand prize winner for middle school in this year's NPR Student Podcast Challenge.
asserted
podcast → understand → Challenge
"Dyslexia and MEE" was chosen from nearly 1,500 submissions from 42 states and the District of Columbia.
asserted
Dyslexia → choose → Columbia
"I feel really excited," Cora says about her victory.
asserted
Cora → feel → victory
Her parents, who spent the whole journey right by her side, are thrilled too.
asserted
who → spend → side
"This is a kid that works so hard and has such a good attitude," says her mom, Emily Johnson.
asserted
mom → work → attitude
"
Finding the right learning style
Cora has come a long way.
asserted
Cora → find → style
She has received tutoring for her dyslexia for two years now.
asserted
She → receive → years
Her podcast takes the listener along to one of her lessons.
asserted
podcast → take → lessons
She sounds out words over Zoom, and her tutor gives her feedback and tips.
asserted
tutor → sound → feedback
They don't move too fast, making sure Cora really understands something before moving on.
asserted
Cora → move → something
It can be tedious, but her hard work outside the classroom is starting to pay off.
asserted
work → start → classroom
"I think I'm a better reader now, and I enjoy it a lot more," she says.
asserted
she → think → it
"I feel more comfortable reading bigger books, but not too big!"
asserted
I → feel → books
Her mom says that this summer marked a turning point: She saw her daughter reading the first book in the Hunger Games series.
asserted
daughter → say → series
"She would pick it up for fun, and she would go read to [her pet] rabbit.
asserted
she → pick → rabbit
Or we were traveling this summer, and she read on the train," Johnson says.
asserted
Johnson → travel → train
"I mean, it's the first time that's ever happened."
asserted
that → mean → ?
It was a winding road to get to this point, but Cora and her parents are excited to see where it goes.
asserted
it → get → point
Winning NPR's national competition is another bright spot.
asserted
Winning → win → competition
"I'm kind of just proud of myself that I overcame this hard, annoying thing," she says.
asserted
she → overcome → thing
"And proud of myself that I created something really cool and interesting that everyone can listen to."
Cora hopes that her podcast might help dyslexia feel a little less scary for listeners and maybe even reach younger students who are still trying to figure out their own learning styles.
"
uncertain
who → create → styles
I would say: Always try your hardest, and don't sell yourself short," she says.
asserted
she → say → yourself
"I think trying is … the best thing you can do."
asserted
you → think → ?
Cora Walsh is still trying: She just checked out that second Hunger Games book from the library.
asserted
She → try → library
The Aporia
