Growing up, David Flink struggled in school—despite his smarts. He had a hard time focusing in class, and he didn't understand why he couldn't learn the way other students did.
"There was a calculation made," he said. "I could either be the silent kid or I could be the bad kid. So, I started acting out. "Flink was often asked to leave the classroom because of the disturbance he caused." At one point, my desk was literally moved to the hallway," he said. "But then I had this message sent to me that I didn't belong in a classroom."
One in five children in the United States has learning disability. At the time, Flink didn't realize he was among them, and his struggles left him feeling alone and isolated. At 11, Flink was diagnosed(诊断) with ADHD and dyslexia. With the support of his parents and the right school, Flink graduated high school and went to Brown University.
When he got to college, he found a community of students who also had learning disabilities. Together with five of them, Flink started a mentoring program for nearby elementary school students who had a learning disability. They called the program Eye to Eye.
Since 1998, Eye to Eye has grown into a nationwide non-profit organization that pairs middle school children who have a learning disability with a college or high school mentor who also has a learning disability. The organization is in 150 schools nationwide and has more than 1350 mentees, influencing middle school children each week. Eighty percent of Eye to Eye students graduate from college—an impressive rate considering children with learning disabilities are three times more likely to drop out of high school.
While Flink enjoys hearing about the academic success Eye to Eye brings to children, there's something more he finds satisfying. "When I hear that because they were in Eye to Eye, they now understand somebody else's experience better—this is what we need in America," Flink said. "We have to love each other across our difference."
