Psychology major Brittany Morris is very clear about one thing: “My goal in life is to make schools suck less for other kids than it sucked for me.”
In her four years at DU, Morris has channeled her passion for educational equity, specifically when it comes to helping kids with learning disabilities, into successful projects thanks to the Puksta Scholars Program. She co-founded the mentorship program Youth Examples of Self-Advocacy (YES) for kids with dyslexia and now works with Literate Nation, an organization that aims to make literacy a reality for all kids.
Morris’ thirst for change stems from her own struggles in the educational system. Growing up with dyslexia and ADHD, she had her share of problems in elementary and middle school. She remembers having difficulty learning to read, thinking she was just an “idiot.” Her teachers did not help matters, either.
“I had a teacher, one time, who was passing [back] tests that she had graded. She would read the [grade] and go put it in on your desk. And she’d be like, ‘Great job! Really good!’” Morris recalls. “And then she got to my desk and said, ‘Well I guess we know someone who didn’t study.’ And she put it on my desk and walked away. I was mortified.”
It was not until her younger sister was diagnosed with dyslexia that Morris realized she had dyslexia too. After educating herself about the learning disability, she knew right away that she wanted to raise more awareness about dyslexia. In high school, she partnered with the Rocky Mountain branch of the International Dyslexia Association to give talks and presentations about the disability to students, families and teachers.
When it came time to go to college, DU was at the top of Morris’ list. She was most drawn to its psychology program, which would allow her to have smaller class sizes and a more tailored experience. However, for a time, Morris was unsure she could afford DU’s steep tuition. Then, she received an email about a scholarship opportunity that would end up shaping her entire college career.
The Puksta Scholars Program, as Morris explains it, is a four-year “civic development program” focused on getting students to help their community.
Morris was one of three incoming freshmen selected to join the program, after an application process that involved her advocating a social issue close to her heart (learning disabilities and educational equity) and laying out goals on how she can make a difference with that issue.
“I knew that I cared a lot about education and learning. And I knew I cared a lot about psychology—I really think brains are the coolest things ever,” said Morris. “And Puksta taught me how to integrate the work I do in my community with my academics.”
Puksta students have a lot of support from the program to pursue their interests, so Morris was allowed the freedom to tackle her cause head-on. Her biggest project came in the form of her mentorship program, YES. After one of her many presentations on dyslexia around the city, Morris found herself inspired to create YES when she spoke with a mother from the crowd.
“This mom came up to me and was like, ‘Brittany, I am so happy to see you again. I came to one of your presentations a couple months ago and I brought my daughter,’” said Morris. “‘[My daughter] saw you and said, “Hey, mom, if Brittany can do that, I think I can do that too.’ If that’s an impact I can make in one kid’s life, then that’s all I care about.”
Morris realized right away the opportunity in front of her. She wanted to create a network between kids of all ages with dyslexia to foster community and camaraderie. Knowing how isolating the disability can be, and how difficult school can be, she wanted kids to know they were not alone. In addition to building bonds between kids, Morris also hoped to instill each kid with a sense of self-confidence, self-worth and self-advocacy. YES was born.
In the future, Morris hopes to become a clinical psychologist in the emerging field of educational neuropsychology, which aims to integrate research in education and psychology. She knows the best way for her to make a difference is by getting to the root of the problem, something she said Puksta helped teach her.
More immediately, though, Morris is taking a “mild detour” by participating in an Orton-Gillingham tutoring program for kids with learning disabilities in Hong Kong for the next couple of years. She thinks the experience will help her see her field through a new lens and hopefully inform her work in the future.
Morris is now finishing up her time at DU by polishing her thesis, which questions the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual’s criteria for learning disabilities. And as she nears the end of her run at DU, she remains grateful to Puksta for making it possible.
“[It’s] the reason why I understand where I’m going, knowing that real life problems have real life solutions. It helped me to understand the consequences of my actions and to use my actions in the most effective way possible,” said Morris.
