Dominic Heiser

Experiences like when people ask me if I am British, which I am not, have occurred throughout my life and are still occurring to this day. People have continuously underestimated me because I cannot speak properly. They assume I am dull-witted and doltish only because of the way I speak. I continuously overcome these conflicts such as when I did my Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science project on helping kids with apraxia talk to Santa at the mall during the holiday season. Out of all the 8th graders in my school, I was the only one who got first place at both the local and state level, further proving the people who doubt my abilities that they were wrong about me. In high school I worked hard, became a member of the National Honor Society, the German National Honor Society (yes you can be successful learning another language) and will graduate with honors before I attend college in an honors program on campus. These experiences have taught me that no matter the difficult challenges in life, whether it involves my speech, I will always be underestimated; However, I will always strive to overcome the challenges and have personal success.

-Dominic Heiser