Isla, 17

At the start of Year 12 I genuinely thought I would have to rethink my future. All my plans for university and my degree seemed impossible when my dyslexia got the better of me, having chosen 3 essay A-Level subject. Then I met Julianne. She made what seemed like the impossible, possible again.

Working with Julianne has not only given me hope for my future but also a newfound confidence in my academic ability. I used to think I was stupid because my test results would never reflect my ability in a subject. Julianne was the first person to help me convert the complex ideas I had in my head, into cohesive essays. This drastic change became apparent when I went from getting a D in my Year 12 English A-Level mock (this being rock bottom for me considering English was my favourite subject) to being on track to achieve an A. She taught me that it was never my knowledge that was the problem, I was simply stuck in a system that wasn’t built for my type of brain. What Julianne does is rather than temporarily fix your issues, she permanently changes your mindset. She was the first person to say, ‘you are smart’, a phrase I had never affiliated myself with. Finally hearing someone call me smart forever changed my life and mindset.

No one has showed the same faith in me that Julianne has. I can now truly describe myself through combining the two words I never thought could relate: I am both smart and dyslexic.