Geraldine "Tracy" Johnson RFB&D member Geraldine “Tracy” Johnson, of Philadelphia, PA, clearly recalls when a teacher told her she would never go to college and when a college counselor told her she could never succeed.

Tracy, 31, who has dyslexia, proved them both very wrong. With the help of recorded textbooks from RFB&D, she will graduate from Harcum College in Bryn Mawr, PA with a 4.0 grade-point average and an associate’s degree in liberal arts, with a minor in women’s studies.

For her entire K-12 school career, Tracy’s dyslexia went undiagnosed. She was placed in special education classes in the sixth grade because she could not keep up with the other students.

“I remember that day vividly. It was truly one of the worst days of my life. I was teased by my peers and told I was stupid,” Tracy recalls. She also remembers the day that a high school teacher told members of her class that college was outside their reach. “Although I was in a special education class, I always knew I wanted to go to college. I felt that if the instructor knew I did not have the ability … then maybe I didn’t,” she says.

After high school, Tracy tried to gain admission to a Philadelphia college, but was instead placed in an adult literacy class. When her reading skills did not improve, she went back to speak with an admissions counselor, who told her she wouldn’t make it there. “I felt like all my hopes and dreams were, literally, being destroyed,” Tracy says.

She admits that she “gave up” for a while and took a job cleaning classrooms for the Philadelphia School District. It was supposed to be temporary, but she held the job for 10 years. Thankfully, she was encouraged by the teachers she met at her job to give higher education another try.

When she was 25, Tracy learned of associations that assist persons with dyslexia and went for a screening. Her suspicions were confirmed and, with renewed support from tutors and mentors, Tracy applied to Harcum. She’s been using recorded textbooks from RFB&D ever since.

“I don’t know how I would have made it through my first semester without the help of my tutor and RFB&D,” Tracy says.

Tracy has immersed herself in college life, serving as a student ambassador and working as a supervisor in the tutoring center. She’s also vice president of the student government and vice president of two honor societies – the Harcum Honor Society and the college’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

She wants to help other people who may be struggling with learning disabilities. She plans to attend Eastern University in St. Davids, PA, in the fall, majoring in psychology. Her goal is to enter the field of family therapy. She also serves as an Educational Outreach volunteer for RFB&D’s Philadelphia Unit.