Getting diagnosed with Dyslexia in 1st grade was rough, but those challenges only

seemed to increase when in 3rd grade I was diagnosed with ADHD. The two combined had me

sent to the principal’s office a lot in school and told that if I just applied myself more I wouldn’t

be sent there. That I wouldn’t be such a problem child. That was all I was, a problem child. I

hated everything to do with school and anything to do with reading.

In 5th grade, my teacher recommended me the Percy Jackson series. At first, I was

reluctant to read a story about some boy who was struggling with daddy issues. Until I got to the

part that mentions dyslexia and ADHD. I was dumbfounded. A character in a book that was just

like me. Impossible. But as I kept reading I felt more and more of a kinship with these

characters. They lived their lives as normal people during school. They got in trouble and

weren’t good students. They were also problem kids just like me. But during the summer they

were Demigods who slayed beasts. That was something I couldn’t even imagine doing. I didn’t

think kids like me had a shot. That they could ever amount to anything. But here was Percy

Jackson meeting gods and protecting New York and being everything, I could ever dream of.

Every summer I dreamed about going somewhere like camp-half blood, where kids like

me fit in. Now as an adult, the idea of getting to work in a camp inspired by The Percy Jackson

series is wildly amazing. It’s always been my dream to be a demigod even if it’s pretending for

most, it isn’t for me. I’ve always lived in a world where Percy Jackson is real and believed that

people like me can fight monsters and fight to read.

The Percy Jackson series is my inspiration in everything I do even today. I became a

creative writing minor in order to write stories like this that made kids feel less alone. Made kids

who thought all they were are problems feel like they are more than their disorders. Stories that I

hope reach kids who need them.

 I even pulled Percy Jackson into my literary club by Creating my own Percy Jackson

D&D. I lead my party into a story about collecting the god’s missing items and finding creative

and effective solutions in order to get the party where they need to go. Sometimes even drop my

entire plan and start something new at a moment’s notice. In order to keep the story about them

while also not breaking the thin veil of this world and that of the Percy Jackson world a little bit

of writing acrobatics is needed.

I want to bring this generation the same joy that the Rick Riordan books gave me. I want

kids to lose themselves in the joy of these books, feel accepted, and most importantly have fun.