by Erica Baumgardner '16 

Knox student Chelsea Bennett '16 has dedicated her time and effort to spreading awareness about learning disorders and ADHD with Eye to Eye, a mentoring program that pairs college students and middle school students who have ADHD and learning disabilities.

As a student with ADHD, Bennett appreciates an environment that celebrates learning differences and aims to shed the negative stigmas surrounding them.

"I was drawn to Eye to Eye because it was a community of people with ADHD and/or learning differences where everyone was accepted," Bennett said.

Bennett serves as coordinator for the Knox chapter of Eye to Eye, leading weekly art projects with students at Churchill Junior High School, with the intention of promoting self-esteem and self-advocacy.

"Each of the students in the art room gets so excited to work with the mentors and to make awesome things with the art supplies and seeing that is truly rewarding."

Bennett also holds a position as a Think Different Diplomat (TDD) for the organization, working to spread awareness about learning disorders and ADHD, as well as the Eye to Eye organization itself. She was recently featured in an advertisement on Times Square in New York City for her work with the organization.

Bennett, who is a double major in Psychology and Anthropology-Sociology, said that she regularly applies concepts from her studies to her work with Eye to Eye.

"One of the major things that I like to carry over from my studies at Knox to the Eye to Eye art room is the idea of self-efficacy ... encouraging the students in the art room and making sure that they know there is no such thing as doing a project wrong," Bennett said.

"This is extremely important while working with students with learning disorders and ADHD because they are often stigmatized for their learning differences."

Bennett added that, aside from the weekly art projects, Eye to Eye is not strictly limited to students with learning differences and ADHD.

"The support of our allies is very important to the success of Eye to Eye at Knox, and they are an essential part in helping the Eye to Eye movement."