Abigail Baum Abigail Baum remembers, “As the teacher said the dreaded words, ‘silent reading time,’ my face turned a scarlet color and my temperature increased 10 degrees … I hated reading.” After her diagnosis with dyslexia, Abigail was introduced to RFB&D’s services and comments that, “It has allowed me to cope with my learning difference and to excel in school. ... ”

Abigail graduated with a 4.0 GPA from Cate School, CA. Outside the classroom, her interests include soccer, lacrosse, singing, acoustic guitar and photography. She is a leader in a local foster home community service program and has traveled to Mexico three times a year for the past three years to help build schools.

As she continues her education, Abigail hopes to utilize RFB&D’s library as much as possible and would like to volunteer to record children’s books. Following college, she plans to join the Peace Corps and perhaps become a doctor. Abigail is certain that whatever her eventual career path, it will be to provide support to children or people in need.

Rebecca Diakunczak When she was eight months old, Rebecca Diakunczak was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Because of her learning and motor delays, doctors told her parents it was unlikely she would complete high school, let alone college. But, having graduated with an academic average of 92.5 and plans to obtain a degree in business, Rebecca herself says “… I have proven them [the doctors] wrong.”

In high school, Rebecca introduced a school disability awareness program named “Everybody Counts.” The program’s success led to Rebecca receiving a citation from the board of education. Rebecca also competed in local and national wheelchair track and field events, and participated in the drama and Interact clubs. Honors include the Youth Appreciation Award, presented by Optimist International, and the Presidents Education Award. She also mentored young teens within the disability group and wrote articles for www.disabilitycentral.com.

“RFB&D has given me educational opportunities I would not have had otherwise … it has helped me reach these milestones in my academic career,” she says.

Adam Koplewicz Adam Koplewicz graduated with a GPA of 3.77 from Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School in New York. However, because of his dyslexia, “in kindergarten, reading was torture” and “despite years of remediation, reading is still a challenge.”

Active in sports, Adam prefers tennis, but he also captained the soccer team and played basketball. He wrote for and edited his school newspaper, participated in the Model Congress and enjoys ceramics and sculpture. He also appears in Who’s Who Among American High School Students 2002-2003.

His vocation is to contribute to the neuroscience of reading disorders. In November 2003, he submitted research he conducted at the New York University Child Study Center to the Intel ScienceTalent Search. Adam will attend Brown University. He plans to “… continue to use RFB&D for the remainder of my life for academics and for pleasure reading. RFB&D has changed my life enormously!”