This week's Feel-Good Friday highlights the importance of gaining an education, learning to overcome, and the power of mentorship and opportunity. 

Learning disabilities are a real thing. One of the reasons why smaller classrooms and school choice are so important is they allow teachers and parents to recognize when a child is not learning through the typical means, and to be able to catch it in time in order to give them the tools they need to successfully acquire, assimilate, and apply the knowledge presented to them. I recently tutored an exceptionally smart young lady who is a competitive athlete, but has difficulties processing information in the typical fashion. She was graduating high school and preparing for college, but with the increased workload that comes with higher-level courses, she was concerned that she would not be able to keep up. 

I was privileged to be able help her with tools to assist her in boosting her confidence and maximizing her study skills. These tools allowed her to focus and tap into the knowledge she needed for the assignment at hand. One of the things I explained to her is that it is okay to use those neurotypical tools to understand a subject in the way that you can digest it. Once she was confident in the information, she could always put it into the format or structure required by her instructors. She has since taken that information and run with it. Her mother reported to me that in a recent class, she scored above and beyond what was required, because she was able to learn what she needed to succeed and apply it to the newest challenge in front of her.

Israel Gonzalez suffered from dyslexia, which hampers one's ability to process letters to be able to read. Gonzalez felt like a failure, but he was drawn to art and found that art actually helped him to focus in such a way that he could remember and process the knowledge given to him. A woman named Patricia Rosa who worked at his local Youth Opportunity Center recognized his struggles and his passion for art, and she used it to help him.

A Riverside County man is sharing a message of inspiration after overcoming dyslexia to launch his own graphic design business.

Art has interested Izzy Gonzalez, who grew up in Rubidoux, since he was 8 years old.

In an interview with ABC7, he said school was difficult because of his dyslexia. "Words were confusing because they'll combing together or they'll switch up, so it made it harder for me to focus," he said.

But art allowed him to get that focus. By high school he was getting As and Bs.

"It helped me expand my mind and what I can do," said Gonzalez.

One day, he met Patricia Rosa at the Youth Opportunity Center (YOC) in Riverside. He told her he was interested in art, which sparked an idea for Rosa.

"At that time, my daughter was into art herself," she said.

In 2016, Rosa decided to submit Gonzalez's name for the Jamil Dada Character Youth Excellence Awards. Jamil Dada is a Riverside County, California, businessman and true community leader. Dada has supported and advocated for the March Air Reserve Base in the Inland Empire, and ensures that our airmen have all they need to uphold our national security. Dada also pours into youth programs and every year, he honors outstanding young individuals of character from all across Riverside County with educational scholarships. In the ABC7 News interview below, Dada said,

My philosophy in life always is that this world would be a much better place if we measured success by how much one gives rather than how much one makes.

Because of Rosa's submission, Gonzalez was awarded one of the scholarship prizes, which he used to further his education. He used the money to pay for community college, and to buy an iPad. Using the opportunities presented to hone his craft and gain further discipline led to other open doors. Once Gonzalez graduated, he started his own graphic design business.

"It was like a door opening for me, with more opportunities," said Gonzalez, who now runs his own graphic design business. He said he already has a number of loyal customers.

"That's the best part, seeing them coming back knowing that I did a good job, and knowing I did good work," he said.

Brava to Patricia Rosa, who helped a young man tap into his gift and learn how to focus and acquire knowledge. But Rosa also helped to set Gonzalez on the path of achievement and built his confidence to find the solutions to the challenges he faced. Now Gonzalez desires to go even further, seeing no limit on what he can achieve. He told ABC7 News:

I didn't stop overcoming barriers and limits, and it's gotten me this far, so I'm hoping it gets me farther. Nothing is impossible.

Jamil Dada is still giving out those scholarships to worthy youth. The 2024 Jamil Dada Awards ceremony is being held this Friday evening at The March Field Air Museum. Bravo to him, as well.