Alan Grant

My dad showed me if I was determined and worked hard I could do anything. When my dad was a child he had dyslexia. That meant he couldn't read or write well; he had to be out in separate classes than other students. But he was very good at math, loved architecture, and wanted to go to college. When he graduated high school he almost flunked.

Determined to be an architect, he phoned up the school of architecture at Berkeley and questioned how he could get in their school. After about ten phone calls he was able to speak to the administrator. He found out in order to get accepted he would have to get perfect grades at the Santa Barbara City College to even be considered. So my dad studied hard for two years, spent all his time in the library, and worked for free at architectural offices in his town to practice architecture.

Finally, he received perfect grade point average. Two years of studying and working hard had finally paid off. He mailed his grades and portfolio to Berkeley. My dad got accepted, got a full scholarship, and graduated at the top one percent of the school.

Then he applied to Harvard, Yale, and Columbia to go to the masters program. He was accepted at all three schools but received a full scholarship from Columbia, which he graduated from one year early. After earning his Masters degree, he went to work for one of the top architects in the world at London. My dad came back to America and opened his own office, and just recently won an American Institute of Architects Award for design.

Even though my dad had dyslexia, he could still go to high school, graduate from Berkeley and Columbia, and have a very successful career. My dad taught me if I was determined and worked hard I could achieve and accomplish anything I wanted to. He taught me that even if others thought you couldn't do something, you could if you believe in yourself. My dad inspires me and teaches me that I can do anything!