Managing ADHD, and Dyslexia as a College Student 

Being a college student can be very challenging already and then you add on having ADHD and dyslexia and it can become a difficult task to navigate. Although it can be extremely difficult at times, it is not impossible. My first year at ASU was difficult, it had many challenges, and looking back most of them had to be related to being neurodivergent. During the first year, I had many firsts in my life, building eating habits, paying bills, academics, being alone in my thoughts, and making sure I set aside time for myself. Adulting was difficult and navigating a completely new environment and pace of life was challenging.

When we think of ADHD and dyslexia the first thing that comes to mind is restlessness, inability to read at a proper level, and trouble focusing. Although these are all symptoms that many individuals who are neurodivergent face, oftentimes many people don’t recognize the emotional aspects of being neurodivergent. For myself, it became apparent that my struggles truly stem from my dyslexia and ADHD. I remember vividly overthinking every interaction and action I did and sitting in my dorm room thinking and not being able to shut it off. I was constantly doing event after event to distract myself from my problems. This became a way for me to cope but later on, discovering it only made it worse down the road. The truth is that overthinking came from people telling me I was too “lazy” “not trying hard enough” and “unworthy” . It was past people talking down upon me because I just thought differently than most people. Especially with a late diagnosis I had to train myself to think about whether my thoughts came from fear, anxiety or past interactions.

Being comfortable with who you are is necessary for growing as a person. We, as neurodivergent people, have been told our entire lives that we are not capable, and this creates a negative view of ourselves. We have to recognize that we are good enough as we are; we owe nothing to be a person that we are not. I believe the hardest part of being an adult is finding this. College and your young years of being an adult you must “unlearn” so many experiences you went through. My college experience has made me discover the “whys” in my life and given me more clarity on my experiences.

My biggest piece of advice for people like me who are neurodivergent is to take time to discover yourself. Take time to watch a movie, take time to take care of yourself, take time to go to therapy, and take time to go get a manicure. Take your time to process what you went through and how you are going to move forward. We oftentimes have trouble processing the experiences that we go through, our brains have a hard time thinking about certain things. Take the time to process and allow yourself to breathe and decompress. Lastly, I believe that the hardest part about college is not the course work but navigating through finding yourself and being an adult 

Sammy Cristerna 
B.A. Political Science, B.A, Psychology, B.S. Sociology