In many ways, I was the ideal high school student.

I made Dean’s List at the most prestigious private school in Los Angeles. I achieved Eagle Scout; I was active in band; I had a 1540 on my SAT’s.

In every way, I was a Twice-Exceptional (2e) kid.

And yet, semester year of college, I had to withdraw to avoid failing all of my classes.

What happened?

Like many 2e young people, I wasn’t organized in my approach to school and life. I did everything that was required of me, but only as a means to get back to video gaming.

In High School, the bare minimum is fairly high — class attendance is required, homework is collected and graded, and there’s a huge support network to funnel students into the proper classes.

In college, all of that went away.

There was no homework, very little academic advising, and heck… I didn’t even have to go to class!

To further complicate things, there were so many new stimuli. New friends, new groups, no oversight.

Put all that together, and it was a perfect storm of disaster for an ADHD person like me.

I limped through my first year, but when it came time to take some of the harder STEM classes, I floundered. The last-minute approach I’d always taken was no longer adequate, and I withdrew to avoid across-the-board F’s.

I had never built the skills necessary to manage myself.

And, on a deeper level, I didn’t know why I was in college!

The entire goal of high school was just, “get into the best college.” Everything I did was in service of that outcome.

Nowhere along the way was any sort of self-discovery, any guidance to help me discover who I was as a person and how best to carve my place in the world.

In short, I lacked the “why.” When confronted with difficult academics, I had no compelling vision to lean on, and I folded.

I wish I could say that I quickly solved this problem. Truth is, though I regrouped and finished college, I floundered for the entirety of my twenties.

While my peers were growing their careers, meeting their future spouses, and engaging with the world, I was locked away in my Mom’s residence, severely depressed and addicted to video games.

All of this stemmed from a lack of direction.

Turns out, there are a lot of young people in a similar situation.

So many teens we help are just like I was — smart yet disorganized, ADHD, and without any sense of who they are, or how to create a compelling path forward.

That is a recipe for the same sort of outcome I suffered through.

In many ways, Our LaunchPad College Success program is a love letter to my younger self. It’s exactly what I would have needed to launch my life in a better direction.

I can’t go back in time and save myself from the poor choices I made, but I can do the next best thing: give others the help I never had and so desperately needed.

What’s involved:

The group consists of a series of interactive group workshops, executive functions inspired online study halls, and individual executive functions coaching along the way. We’ll learn together and provide support to bring it in the real world in a fun, collaborative, and supportive environment.

Need additional coaching sessions, subject specific tutoring, or support advocating for learning services? No problem! Once in the AURA network, enjoy deep discounts for additional education services.

During the Summer: Self-Assessment Using StrengthsFinder

• Who are you? What are you good at? What are some career options of where to land, and what majors would serve?

• During the Summer: First Point Academic Advising

  • If we start with the end in mind, what are the required classes? How do we divvy those up in a manageable way?

Week 1: The Ins-And-Outs of Living On Your Own

Week 2: Scheduling for Success

Week 3: The Wheel of Life

Week 4: Creating Your Social Life

Week 5: Using the Syllabus to plan for getting A’s

Week 6: How to Actually Do the Reading

Week 7: How and When To Do the Homework

Week 8: An Empowering Approach to Exam Prep