On April 15th, I had the pleasure of visiting Austin Elementary School. My wonderful Aunt, who is the school counselor invited me to come speak to a group of kids about overcoming their challenges. I spoke to about 50 kids who are part of the pep-squad at their school. I was a surprise guest so it was very exciting to see the kids faces when I walked in to their gym. They were so excited and eager to hear about my story.
I had the chance to share with them my struggle as a kid with Attention Deficit Disorder and how I learned how to overcome the difficulties of having this disorder in school and life. Many of the kids could relate because they too had ADD or another learning disorder. I had the chance to hear one student's story about how his home life kept him from being successful. It was touching to hear their stories and was a perfect opportunity to show them how they can succeed at any of their dreams regardless of their challenges.
After I visited with the pep-squad that morning I went around to several classrooms from kindergarden to fifth grade. It was so nice to see all the kids of different ages working on something different and continuing their education and reaching for their goals. I also had the unique privilege of visiting their autistic classroom and their special needs classroom. I met a little boy, named Caleb who was so sweet and took me around the classroom and introduced me to each student. He was so thrilled to show me the character of himself he was drawing. I had such a great time with these kids and hope they each remember they too can accomplish their dreams no matter what challenges they may come across.
Thank you Austin Elementary!
Kelli Ansley
Miss Texas International 2011
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