Proudest Moment of the Year

Let me introduce you to Donnie, who came into my life about seven years ago. Last month, we finally celebrated his college graduation from Portland State University!

Through his journey, Donnie learned how to work hard, be proactive and responsible, and communicate with his peers and professors. Despite his Asperger's, he persevered academically, but more importantly, personally. He has grown so much and I couldn't be more proud.

The road to becoming a college grad was sometimes rocky, but we finally made it to the end. As our last session came to a close, tears welled up in my eyes and I expressed (or more so blubbered) to Donnie just how proud I was of him and surprisingly, when I looked back, Donnie had tears in his eyes too. I can't tell you how amazing his showing of emotion made me feel. He said, "Amy, I wouldn't be here without you." My heart melted. I love you, Donnie! Friends forever:)

A New Perspective

As you may have noticed, I've been away from the blog for quite some time and there is a good reason why. Three and a half months ago I earned a new title: Mom! Yep, that's right. I finally made my dreams a reality and am the mommy of a baby girl. As an older mom this wasn't an easy journey and still isn't, but she is the most amazing thing to ever happen to me and as a result, I have a newfound respect for all the parents I work with.

I am learning why the work StudyWise tutors and I do with our students is such an invaluable resource for parents. Parenting, in addition to daily life demands and work, is quite challenging to say the least. School has become very complicated and knowing the ins and outs has taken me years to learn, so I can see how stressful it would be for busy parents to figure out the system. I'm just having trouble keeping my eyes open and the house clean at this point, so I can only imagine adding in figuring out my daughter's classes and teachers each year, new technology, websites and grading systems, daily assignments and due dates, etc. I find my work even more rewarding now because I know I'm making parents' jobs a little easier. Thank you StudyWise families for your dedication in raising such amazing kiddos!