Cara Barr

As an Alaskan Native Inupiaq woman, I was raised in a rural village called Elim, Alaska. Throughout my school years my teachers continuously noted my advanced reading comprehension and writing skills. This gift has allowed me to attend reading classes above my grade level. Despite my ability to grasp complex topics and ideas, I struggled with one thing, and that was attention.

I recently discovered I have undiagnosed ADHD. This became apparent to me during my second year of college. Suddenly, what I had experienced in school, procrastination and working memory issues, made sense from a future perspective.

I decided to take a gap year and focus on coping with my condition.

A year later I have matured a lot and developed tools and skills that are necessary to continue college.