Hi, I'm Dylan!
Founder of Hidden in Plain Sight · Class of '27
If you knew me when I was younger, you probably would have described me as confident, outgoing, and happy-go-lucky. I loved performing, playing soccer, being with my friends, and throwing myself down the hill in my backyard way too many times. What you may not have seen as easily was how hard school felt for me.
Learning didn't come naturally to me. I struggled early on with reading, focus, organization, and keeping up in class. I was pulled out for extra help often, and over time, I began to believe that everyone around me was smarter than I was. Even though I looked confident on the outside, I quietly carried the feeling that I didn't belong academically.
Eventually, when I was in fifth grade, I was evaluated and diagnosed with ADHD. That moment didn't "fix" everything. With the right strategies, support, and self-awareness, learning started to make sense. I learned how to study in ways that worked for me, how to manage my time, how to advocate for myself, and how to ask for help without being embarrassed.
That version of me deserved guidance, clarity, and reassurance much earlier than she received it.Most importantly, I rebuilt my confidence. It was lost for a while, but eventually, it came back. Today, I take challenging classes, hold my head high in all trials and tribulations I face, and have a genuine curiosity for learning. But, I don't want to sound like it was always that way. In fact, I will never forget how long it took to get here.
I'm proud of who I am now, and I'm just as proud of the younger version of me who struggled.
I often wish I had someone who understood what it felt like to struggle, someone who could simply say, "I've been there, and it gets better."
Inside of my school, I run the Compass Program: a peer mentorship group where neurodiverse high schoolers support younger students who learn differently. It's where I first began thinking about creating Hidden in Plain Sight. We meet biweekly, and every session reminds me of why this work matters.
To the parents reading this:
I want to ask for you to listen to what I have to say. By no means am I saying I am an expert. Rather, I am someone who has lived through it. Trust me, I know how scary it can feel to hear that your kid is struggling, or that their brain isn't like yours. As a kid, I felt that fear too.
Please know this: it is going to be okay. Nothing–nothing–is wrong with your child. Having a learning difference doesn't mean they don't have the same potential, happiness, or success as anyone else.
What matters most is helping them feel safe, believed in, and understood. Your belief in them can change everything.
Dylan is also a Junior Board Member of Sandalwood Serves, a New Jersey nonprofit dedicated to youth service and community impact. The Compass Program is a proud chapter program of Sandalwood Serves.