A Writing Believer: Andrea's Dream

Today I have a guest on the blog.  

She is one of the members of the Youth Group I serve in and I am quite honored to have her write here today because I am so humbled by her example.  One of the things I'm learning as I keep up with this blog is to find things to write about and it hasn't exactly been easy while I'm juggling between my work and other things.  

So before the year comes to close, it seems that God is giving this blog a new purpose.   I am no longer writing to believe just for myself but He gives me this place to show that there are others, young people to be exact, who write just as much so that they can also believe that their dreams can come true. 

Today the writing-believer is Andrea Zubiri.  Her story charms my morning and I'm hoping to share more about her in the coming days.  

I have 3 major goals in my life. The first major one is to spread as much awareness about students with learning challenges and or disabilities. The 2nd is to be a well known photographer and to have at least one photo published in the National Geographic Magazine, yes that magazine, it’s crazy hard to get a photo in it and I still really want it. Last but not least I want to write a book entitled a “Dream Beyond the Horizon” that is partially fiction about students with learning challenges.

I am Andrea G. Zubiri and I have ADD, I have known and had it for 10 years. ADD Is short for Attention Deficit Disorder. ADD was really hard for me especially when I was in middle school. It prevents a student from understanding lectures and instructions, allows them to lose papers, and lose focus. You get very distracted and disorganized in class where all these little things look like they sum up together and equal to just one big thing. I have a hard time understanding details and because of this there were days in school where I felt like crying, days where I cried in front of people and not caring if they saw me.

During the start of college I used to cry to my support teachers as well. I know I may sound like a child but please try to step in the shoes of someone who has all these challenges. I was blessed to be able to have support teachers they are teachers who focus on helping students like me do better in school and keep up with everyone. I am actually very lucky and blessed ADD is not the hardest of all challenges I still get to be a regular student. Harder challenges are dyslexia where all the letters of the words get mixed up most students and people who have that tend to hate reading. I hope they don’t because reading is great it’s a whole new world and it widens your creativity and imagination. There is even math dyslexia and ADHD like ADD but the “H” stands for hyperactive they are hyper or cant stay still for a long period of time. It is mostly a genetic thing and is tested. So don’t worry if you cant focus sometimes that’s normal.

Anyways I used to hate having ADD when I was younger I felt so incapable all the time. I never understood most things, I had a hard time socializing with my classmates, getting the grades I want honor roll deans list. I always wanted the best grades. Even if my parents wouldn't get mad at me when I got low grades I feel like I wasn't smart enough and this would bring me down. Later on my mom told me I had to accept having ADD because that’s the only way life would get easier. It took a long time but I finally accepted it. Whenever I fail a test I would cry in my room, I would sometimes not even want to try anymore. I felt like giving up a lot but something in me told me repeatedly that I shouldn’t.

Until I met God in a retreat encounter from a Youth Group I joined 2 summers ago. I am part of a youth group who tries to spread as much love God has to other people. He is the only reason I keep on going. Sometimes I am so used to failing a test I just end up saying “whatever!” and not care anymore. I always try and do my best, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes you just got to accept the reality you know. I learned how to pass the entire class with failing a couple of tests. I can do well in projects just not written exams but I’d pass some written exams sometimes. I’m really happy when I do. Who wouldn’t?

I’m writing this because I want to spread awareness about learning disabilities because I know that there are students out there and here in the Philippines who might have not gotten the chance to have support teachers because of the lack of knowledge the schools have about ADD. For people like me, you don’t even have to be a support teacher to help. You can be anyone. Honestly an act of kindness from a friend, classmate and even better a stranger will have a big impact on that person and the way they think about their situation. 

Let me give you an example. For my final public speaking class exam I talked about students like me, and said I wanted to spread awareness so that they would have a happier time in their school life. Even if I did not experience it so much at least they will. That day my professor asked us to compute our grades and I honestly suck at math and hate it a lot. I asked my seat-mate if he knew how to do that and he said no. But after asking around he came back and asked me if I already know how to compute. I said I didn’t and he tried explaining it to me and I still didn’t get it. I was having difficulty understanding. In the end I said, “Sorry, I still don’t understand it but thank you very much.” That small act of kindness made me so happy that day and brought joy to my heart. That with my speech I reached out to even one person. The thing was I did not even ask him for help. That’s what made it so cool and surprising.

The Youth Group has really helped. It is now going to be my 3rd year with them and I will still continue. I met a lot of really nice and amazing, talented people who are so accepting and helpful, people who actually cared about how we are doing. I used to be someone in middle school who had barely any friends. It was a lonely time. That time has passed thanks to God. The Youth helped me with my faith even more. I mean I knew God when my parents taught him to me and prayed to God but when I joined the Youth encounter 9 in St. James the Great Parish it was the first time I met God personally and my faith increased and now nothing in this world can ever change my mind about God. Nothing in this world can stop me from believing in Him because He is real and true.

How do I know this because its what we feel when we have that joyful heart, when we are happy with family and friends. When we get good grades and do well in work whatever it is the blessings are all from him. My family, friends and youth activities are what keep me going in my school. The prayer meetings help me a lot and my friends and family make me happy and most of all God. Who reminds me to never give up constantly.

I am actually happy I have ADD because it gives me a reason to do my best in my work and most of all it gives me a reason to never give up. ADD makes me a better student because when I have my challenges I want to do well and I honestly believe if I didn’t have it I don’t know how I would finish and graduate school. I hope you can help me in my goal to spread awareness for students like me so we can have a happier future in our education. I am ANDREA YSABEL GARCIA ZUBIRI and I accept that I have had ADD for 10 years and figured out the only way to overcome it is to accept it. I am A Photography student who has 3 big dreams that will someday soon be accomplished I just know it, and just remember a small act of kindness can be something big in another persons eyes.

Thank you most especially to Kathy for putting my writing in your blog and thank you for reading this if you did just by doing that made me really happy. 

Andy was invited to share her story in a Learning Disability Conference last February 17 this year in Thailand.  If you want to write and encourage Andy, email writetome@iwritetobelieve.com.