Gavin Newsom: How I found strength in my dyslexia diagnosis

Editor's note: Gavin Newsom is the lieutenant governor of California.

My day of reckoning arrived during Mr. Morris's class in middle school. I strategically sat in the last desk in the last row of every one of my classes, my eyes cast down, listening as the clock ticked one notch closer to the time the bell would ring and dispel my anxiety.

But that day, the gig was up. Mr. Morris asked me to read aloud, and I stood at my desk shaking as I gripped the book in my sweaty hands and painfully stumbled through the paragraph, tripping over the words. My cheeks burned red with embarrassment. I slumped back into my chair, my classmates’ taunting laughter still ringing in my ears.

One in every five children in the U.S. has a learning and attention issue. Dyslexia is the most common of those issues, impacting as many as 8.5 million American school kids. I was one of them.

I first learned I had dyslexia when I was about 7 or 8 years old. My mother had received my diagnosis years prior but, not wanting me to be “stigmatized,” she kept it to herself. One day after school, I rifled through her desk and found a file with my name on it. Opening the folder, two words jumped off the first page and caught my eye: "Gavin's dyslexia."

In short, having dyslexia meant that I had the added challenge of not being able to easily read accurately and fluently. I had a difficult time answering questions about something I had read. And the idea of having to read aloud left me in a nearly permanent state of anxiety.

School was a terrifying experience for me. Faced with the onslaught of lessons in spelling, reading, and writing that elementary and middle school entails, my days were riddled with anxiety. I was teased by my classmates. I waded through years of low grades and low self-esteem. Over the course of just seven years, I bounced between four different schools. Dyslexia wasn't widely discussed or understood at the time, and teachers didn’t know what to do with me.

But that day in Mr. Morris’s class was a formative one for me. I survived the humiliation, picked myself up and, in turn, began to find the gifts in my diagnosis. I came to understand that having a learning and attention issue isn’t a sign of lacking intelligence. Rather, it’s a challenge. There wasn’t anything wrong with me or the way I learned. I just learned differently.

My dyslexia — which paved the way for the opportunity to strengthen other skills — has served me throughout my career as a politician and public speaker. Since I struggled with reading aloud, I overcompensated by learning to inhale information. I’ve only read a small handful of speeches in my life, but have sharpened my ability to memorize and think on my feet. Over the years, I’ve had to learn how to fail and have become less averse to taking risks and more entrepreneurial in the process. In the world of politics, having those skills is a gift. Looking back, I can say that dyslexia is one of the best things that ever happened to me.

But the most profound gift that dyslexia has afforded me is empathy. When I see anyone, particularly young people, struggling through a difficult period, my heart goes out to them. I can relate all too well. I was the "low performing" kid in class, the underdog in school. And the learning issue that once held me back eventually fueled me to persevere. That empathy — recognizing my own past shame and frustration in those with a learning and attention issue first finding their way — motivates me to stand up and be a champion for their cause. I want to help them recognize that being different is something to celebrate.

This October, during Dyslexia Awareness Month, I partnered with the nonprofit Understood.org on their #BeUnderstood campaign. I spoke with a remarkable young man, Ryan Quinn Smith, who also has dyslexia. Ryan aspires to become an inventor or go into politics when he gets older. I had the pleasure of sharing my story with him, encouraging him to keep reaching for his dreams, and to never let his learning and attention issue hold him back.

It’s important that we recognize how many kids are impacted by learning and attention issues. Some may see their diagnosis as a failing. We need to change the conversation. I want everyone to recognize that these issues, whether ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, or others aren’t "problems" and don't have to be a hurdle.

We need to let kids with learning and attention issues know that they're just as smart and capable as their peers. We can shift the surrounding culture to be more accepting and supportive when all of us, even those without learning and attention issues, recognize that we all learn differently, and that should be celebrated.

Many brilliant, accomplished people have learning and attention issues and haven’t let them hinder their success. From Picasso to Muhammad Ali to Sir Richard Branson to Octavia Spencer, many of those with dyslexia have exhibited a creativity and entrepreneurial energy, and are dynamic in a way that should be celebrated and embraced.

For every young person out there struggling with a learning and attention issue, know that it doesn’t have to be an obstacle and is, without question, nothing to be ashamed of. Having a learning and attention issue doesn’t mean you aren’t smart. It simply means you learn in a certain way and have another set of skills.

It is more than OK to be different — it can be powerful if you choose to let it be. Each and every one of us out there, regardless of how we learn, deserves to be understood.

To learn how to help everyone #BeUnderstood, visit Understood.org.