Ally Nickerson, role model extraordinaire by Patrick

Ally Nickerson, role model extraordinaire by Patrick - October 2025 Scholarship Essay

Ally Nickerson is a fictional character that I can relate to and have learned some important lessons, especially about myself and my dyslexic journey. Ally is a 6th grade student at Pennsylvania Middle School. She struggles with reading and writing due to dyslexia. She disguises her struggles by acting out and misbehaving during class.
There was a quote in the book that really resonated in my brain, "Everyone is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life thinking its stupid" When I first was diagnosed I tried to read as many books as I could. Many times the words or the story would not make sense to me, but I felt that if I just read more I could over come dyslexia. At the time I was in 2nd grade, my teacher Mrs. Valdamira, was very much like Ally's teacher, Mr. Daniels. She believed in me and saw more in myself than I was able to see at the time. I eventually learned that dyslexia is only a small part of who I am and it helps shape who I have become. Eventually like Ally I began to see that there were things I was really good at like sports and Lacrosse and Math, there were things I was average at like Science and Ice skating and there were things I needed to work harder at like reading, writing and basketball. I learned that I am not defined by just my struggles, I am defined by the battles I've won, those I'm still fighting and those I have lost, but still learned from.
Ally transforms into a person with increased confidence who embraces her strengths instead of her weaknesses. I too had to learn that I am not disabled, but differently abled. Once I found how my brain works and what I needed to be successful I started to succeed. I have taken many college classes and several Advanced Placement classes. These require a lot of reading, which is difficult, but there are audio books that help and great teachers like Mr. Daniels that see my potential and were able to get me to flourish like Ally.