Stephen Lieberman, class of ’05, recently returned to campus to say hello, reconnect with favorite teachers, and catch up on the school’s progress.  Stephen joined Franklin Academy as a junior at the start of our inaugural year, and he was selected by his classmates to give the senior speech at graduation.  He was also the recipient of the Headmaster’s Excellence Award.   

Fred Weissbach remembers very well Stephen’s career at Franklin Academy, starting first with his interview in the Admissions Office.   Here is the concluding paragraph that Fred wrote in Stephen’s recommendation for college:  “I hope that you will carefully consider Stephen Lieberman’s candidacy.  He is a talented and mature young man who took the big step of coming to Franklin Academy because he recognized that differences in his learning preference and deficits in his social skills had compromised earlier school performance.  He has succeeded brilliantly at Franklin, arming himself with the compensatory strategies that allow his strengths to shine.  Stephen is ready to embrace the full set of challenges at a very selective college or university.” 

After graduating from Franklin Academy, Stephen matriculated at George Washington University, which is located just four blocks from the White House in Washington, DC (http://www.gwu.edu). Today, the enrollment at George Washington is approximately 19,000 undergraduate and graduate students in nine schools.  Stephen is moving through the first semester of his senior year, and he looks forward to graduating this coming December with a major in political science.  

During Stephen’s visit to campus he spent time meeting with the administrative team.  He met with Franklin Academy’s Level 3 students who will soon be going off to college, and he also had the chance to share important perspectives with juniors who are beginning the college search process.  Here are some key excerpts from Stephen’s many comments during the day: 

• “Franklin Academy taught me how to live away from home, allowing me to focus my efforts at college on managing the academic challenge.  It was difficult at first to adjust to the large size of GW, but I was able to manage by getting a support system in place – one that did not include my parents, but other individuals who cared about my success, such as people in the Disability Support Services office, learning specialists, writing specialists, and caring professors.” 
  
  
• “It is so easy to fade into the background, but that doesn’t work with someone who has learning disabilities.  It may be tempting to just disappear, but you're only hurting yourself.  You must advocate for yourself and take advantage of the school’s disabilities office.  Until I learned this important lesson, GW was a struggle for me – up and down every semester, including a large Calculus class of fifty students that I flunked.  I subsequently took this course with fewer students and a more approachable professor and received an A-.”
  
  
• “Now, every semester after I register for classes I go to the Disability Office which produces for me a letter addressed to each professor.  These letters list recommended services and accommodations that I am to receive in each course.  I then hand-deliver this letter to each professor, and it is my opening to begin forging a relationship with my professors.  However, the Disability Office offers me continuing support, especially from writing specialists who work with me on term papers, helping with the initial outlines, and offering constructive criticism, draft by draft.  I also meet with someone every week to go over my schedule, my due dates for papers, and the dates for my exams, and plan out what work I should be doing each day.”
  
  
• “Realize that there is no stigma attached to receiving special service.  It is usually the people you least expect it who receive support from the Disability Office – the cute girl at the end of the row in your English class, the jock in your History class, or the know-it-all in Biology.  There is a wide variety of people from all different backgrounds and social strata who receive disability support, and no one will think any differently of you for taking advantage of the opportunities available to you.”
  
  
• “Another important piece of advice is to get on top of your time management.  Know how much time it takes to get from place to place, but allow yourself some wiggle room.  Know how much time is required to complete each task.  Plot your tasks on paper.  Be sure to attend every class – this is important.  You have to show up.  This gets you into a rhythm, and you feel more comfortable with every class you attend.  Given our auditory learning preference, we can absorb so much material and information by osmosis.  Just by showing up and sitting there in class, you might remember an answer on the final exam that you otherwise might not know.  Also, learn to pace yourself.  Be proactive about your schedule.  If you need to take a reduced load, that is okay.  If you need more than four years to complete college, that’s also all right.  Just because society calls them "four-year colleges" doesn't mean you have to overwork yourself.  Everyone goes at their own pace, and you would be surprised at how many students take longer than four years to get their degree.  Think about utilizing the summer sessions – smaller classes, fewer students on campus, and a more relaxed atmosphere.”
  
  
• “At college, you are on your own.  There is no one to check up on you.  No one is going to hound you.  You make your own decisions, and you have to live with the consequences.  And parents have to take a big step back.  No professor is going to appreciate a call from a mom or dad who is trying to negotiate on behalf of their child.  In fact, the professor will probably hang up on the parent.  It's all on you.  But realize that in general, professors are there to help you.  If you introduce yourself to your professor at the beginning of the semester and give them your letter from your college's Disability Office, they will be much more accommodating to you if you have problems with papers.  Also, don't be afraid to ask for extensions if you need them.  So many students who aren't receiving disability support ask for them all the time.  However, at the same time, don't think that you can ask for unlimited extensions on your work.  If you don't complete your work, there will be consequences, and your parents can't rush in to save the day.”
  
  
• “Making friends is another difficult challenge, especially if you don’t know where to look.  Everyone focuses in on themselves, especially during classes or even during mealtime in the cafeteria.  I have discovered that you can make good friends by getting involved in clubs that catch your interest.  You bond through mutual interests and shared experiences.  So, get involved in extracurricular activities.”
  
  

As Stephen concluded his talk, he offered this parting piece of advice to our juniors and seniors.  “Do you want to become an independent person who is able to make his or her own way out in the world?  If so, you need to take advantage of the opportunities available at Franklin Academy.”  Certainly, Stephen is ready to make his way in the world.  After graduation from GW in December, he hopes to secure a job on Capitol Hill, and one of his professors, Dr. Steven Roberts (husband of NPR senior news analyst Cokie Roberts), has offered to make introductions on Stephen’s behalf. 

But before then, Stephen will be back on the Franklin Academy campus for the popular Parents’ Spring Seminar, participating in an alumni panel discussion about college experiences.  Thank you, Stephen Lieberman, we are proud of your success!