Popi Marquez

I was diagnosed with ADHD in 9th grade. Until then, I assumed that academics just weren’t my strong suit. I was known as the “dumb one” in my friend group. A ‘B’ was my pinnacle of success. My teachers recommended me for only on-level classes and would not consider anything higher. My claim-to-fame was that I was a star softball player, and I relied on that being my route to go to college.

After my diagnosis, my world opened up. “Wow I am actually not stupid” were the first words I said to my mom after leaving that meeting to discuss the test results. I realized that I’m a smart person that just needs to approach learning differently. I changed as a student. I realized I love to learn. I am curious. I am a question asker, not because I don’t understand the subject but rather because I want to dive deeper into the subject. I became confident in myself. I started to raise my hand to answer questions in class. My grades catapulted, and I quickly rose to the top of my on-level classes. My softball coaches always told me that if I am not in the room with people who challenge me, I am in the wrong room. The on-level classes didn’t challenge me like they used to. I wanted to set much higher goals for myself, and I knew I could do it. Now, I just had to convince the school administration.

For my sophomore year, I took the initiative to talk to my teachers about moving up to two honors classes. They were hesitant, but acquiesced. I finished those both honors classes with As. I was filled with pride and excitement to deeper explore my prospects as a student.

The biggest challenge happened a year later: I wanted to move from on-level English to AP Lang. When I first asked the high school director, the answer was an emphatic “No.” This had never been allowed before: it was “too big of a jump,” she explained. But I persisted. After 5 months of emails and meetings, I arranged to speak in front of the Academic Chairs where I convinced them that I was not only capable, but that I belonged in AP Lang.

I finished AP Lang with a 94. It was true — I belonged. The next year I wanted to make another jump from on-level precalculus to AP Calc. This time the administration trusted me, and allowed me to make the jump without hesitation.

I never gave up believing that I had more potential. Determined and resilient, I changed the trajectory of my academics. Now I am at the University of Georgia studying Political Science and Spanish, waking up each day eager to learn and grow.