2013-2014 College Track Annual Report | Page 6

STUDENT STORY KNOW YOUR MOTIVATION, HARNESS IT AND YOU WILL SUCCEED! RANDY LEONARD COLLEGE TRACK OAKLAND ALUMNUS SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY PICTURED ABOVE: Randy Leonard College Track Alumni, Marshall Lott Chief Advocate for College Completion As a child, I wanted to be an architect, I was amazed by the tower cranes erecting skyscrapers. But, in the sixth grade, I was diagnosed with dyslexia and I did not read until the ninth grade. on-one daily tutoring, help with answers to all my homework questions and caring adults who had high expectations of me. I took school more seriously and steadily pulled my grades up from a 2.5 GPA to a 3.5 GPA by my senior year. I realized that not only did I like science classes, but that I was good at them, changed and my options opened up. I wanted to be a civil engineer. I remember vividly one night during my senior year. My learning disabilities made me think that the My great grandfather pulled me aside and said, tall buildings would be as a construction worker. I want you to become a doctor, so you need to go I joined College Track as a sophomore in high I had already applied to college, but that I wanted to learning disability. At College Track, I had one- said, “that’s alright, too.” His encouragement meant so closest I would ever get to my dream of working on school and with hard work I slowly overcame my “I don’t want you to be like the rest of these fools. to college.” I told him that thanks to College Track, be an engineer. A smile grew across his face and he