The Anne Ford and Allegra Ford Scholarship is a $10,000 award granted to college-bound high school seniors with a documented learning disability (LD).  Anne Ford and Allegra Ford Scholars are students who have faced the challenges of LD with perseverance, self-advocacy, and a commitment to achieving their future dreams.  We are pleased to present this update on one of our recent scholars.

I successfully completed my freshman year as a Biology major at the State University of New York (SUNY) College at Brockport.  I chose the college based on the fact that there was a very active and supportive disability office willing to give me the supports I had received in high school. At Brockport, I am also part of the Delta College -- a college within the college that takes an integrated, hands-on approach to my college electives. This fits well with my learning style.

I knew the science major would be a challenge, and it proved to be more than that. It was daunting and required unbelievable focus due to the intensity of the lectures and labs. Over half of the class changed majors or dropped out.  I went out on the weekends very little, and lived in a dorm with other science majors.  I knew if I wanted to have a fighting chance, I could not get distracted.

Throughout the year, I worked with a tutor and utilized technology support including a recording pen and the Kurzweil software I received as part of my Anne Ford and Allegra Ford Scholarship award.

I stayed the course all year and was awarded the 2011 Andrew and Sue Virgilio Award honoring one Brockport student who has overcome a disability to excel at the college. I was also named to the Dean's List. 

In addition to my studies, I have been involved with the veterinary pre-professional club at Brockport and interned with a local veterinarian.  All of these things are getting me closer to my dream of being a veterinarian.  I have also served as a Brockport Host, welcoming incoming students to our campus.  I continue to advocate for the disabled and am enrolled in a sign language course this summer.

This summer, I have been working full time as a Veterinary Assistant at a feline animal hospital.  More exciting things are coming in the fall.  I will be interning at a zoo and continuing my biology and pre-veterinary studies.

Mackenzie was a 2010 Anne Ford and Allegra Ford Scholar.  Read her winning essay, “The Gift of Learning Differently.”