I hated school as a child and as an adult but I really enjoy going to school now! I love the fact that the ABI program is a part of a college campus and students find themselves in real classrooms. It sets the stage for a person who has suffered a brain injury to know that they will be a student who will be using their brain. After I had my injury I was desperately looking for something to help me strengthen my cognitive processes. I wanted help to define the missing puzzle pieces, find ways to connect them or find ways to compensate for the lost pieces.

At first I did not understand why the process of enrollment had so many steps and demand so much information or why so many people wanted to get into the program. It was not until I was in class that I figured out that the process of enrollment for the program is a way of finding each individual student’s abilities and deficits in order to place them in the right class that fits their needs. I now know there are different classes to meet the different needs of each student.

On the first day of class as I introduced myself and my story I learned from other students who shared their stories that there are many ways to suffer a brain injury. Each injury has different effects but there are also similarities and it was so comforting to be surrounded by people who know, understand, and share so many of the same frustrations, and limitations. In the days that followed what surprised me the most was how and what kinds of things the other students were able to do after being in the program. During the first few weeks I wasn’t able grasp the concepts of the topics being taught or be able to accomplish the assignments but my fellow classmates assured me that they too had felt the same way when they started. At first, it was a challenge to concentrate and focus on the topics the teachers were speaking about. I felt lost most of the time. Taking notes helped to stay on track but then I had difficulty trying to organize my thoughts and notes. Technology is a big part of the class I am in and that is my biggest challenge but it is also the area I have had the biggest successes in.

I have found the topics of the program correlate very closely to our life outside of the classroom. The subject matter of each topic builds upon what we had learned the previous quarter. Learning strategies to problem solve, organize, make decisions, learn to read, and manage our time helps every facet of our lives. Other topics such as brain anatomy, emotional intelligence, cognitive behaviors have helped me understand what pieces of the puzzle are missing and how my injury effects other parts of my life such as my relationships with others.

Each and every day we are given so much information to process that there are days that I have felt overwhelmed and I quickly realized the benefit of the program’s offer of being able to repeat the program a second time. This is why they say its a 1-2 year program. I have heard the information, taken notes, tried to process what was said, tried to practice new ways of doing something, but I sometimes I have missed an important part of the information, or didn’t understand what was said, most of all I need more time and practice to make the new strategies a habit and a part of my life.

This quarter I have been observing students who are transitioning out of the program, they have one foot in the program and one foot out the door and into the next chapter of their story. It is so comforting to see how the program is built to help students through their transition and offer their support even after students graduate. It is hard for me to think of that day in the future for myself but I find solace in the fact that the whole time I am in this program I have peers who will become life time friends that offer support, encouragement and celebrate my successes. As I continue the program my goal is grab every detail of information, put more effort and time into applying what I am being taught, evaluate what is working and what is not, but most of all remember to never stop learning. I have figured out what has made going to school different for me this time around, I can apply what I am learning to every part of my life, and that has been very helpful to me in so many different ways.