Zoe Kozina Encouraging self-belief with Your Beautiful Mind
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I am a current senior at New Trier High School in Winnetka , IL , and have spent most of my life living in this area with my two sisters and parents — all of whom have been incredibly supportive of me during my diagnosis and through the publication of my book . When I was first diagnosed with a learning disability in math , I was in the third grade and very confused about how it would impact me — not only academically but also socially . I didn ’ t want to be different from my peers , so it was hard for me to accept my disability and learn how to still have confidence in myself . But having a group of supportive friends , family , and Special Education teachers was incredibly instrumental in bringing me to where I am today . Through all my Individual Educational Plan ( IEP ) meetings , they have rooted for my success and had an unwavering confidence in me . Even so , I knew that in order for me to succeed — and view my disability as a strength rather than a weakness — I would need to find confidence in myself . It was hard at first , during elementary and middle school , to find that confidence . Being pulled out of recess and having to take tests in other rooms made me feel isolated and less intelligent than the rest of my peers . Because of this , I doubted myself and was afraid to raise my hand in the classroom , even if I was curious . But when I finally got into high school , something clicked in me — It was like a realization dawned that I no longer wanted to feel owned by my disability . I wanted to learn more and most of all , I wanted to have confidence in myself . Through hard work , teacher and parent support and the love that I had for learning and writing , I was able to find that confidence in myself — and , eventually , publish this book .
Congratulations on the publication of your book , Your Beautiful Mind . What motivated you to write it ? I didn ’ t start
getting into writing until I was a freshman in high school . I had a really great English teacher that year , and she could see that I was really interested in her class , even though I was still hesitant to participate and share my ideas . Despite this , she encouraged me to raise my hand and engage with my peers . It was during that year that I not only began to accept my disability , but also found my love for writing . I began to write prolifically and it became a way for me to understand the world and myself . Whenever I was struggling with my disability — or with anything else , really — I would turn to writing as a form of comfort . All the hard work I had put into my academics and confidence I built up with my writing finally paid off during my sophomore year of high school , once I no longer needed my IEP and transitioned into a 504 Plan . This event really inspired me , seeing that I had come so far from being diagnosed during third grade to no longer needing my IEP as a high schooler . I reflected on my story a lot during my junior year , and by the end of the year , I had begun to come up with the idea for Your Beautiful Mind . I realized how cool it would be if I combined my love of writing with a meaningful story I thought could help a lot of kids who are in the same position I was in . From that day forward , I began to formulate the story — figuring out the plot and who the characters would be . Through it all , I knew I wanted to help others with this book . I knew that , by exploring how I dealt with my invisible disability , I would maybe help someone else deal with theirs . That was really the goal — to use my book to help other kids with disabilities know that they
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