Saskatoon student overcomes dyslexia, wins award of excellence

Watch the video above: Saskatoon Public Schools honoured two students with awards of excellence.

SASKATOON – Two Saskatoon students were recognized on Monday for their outstanding contributions to the community, and dedication to their studies.

One of the students is Graham Coulter. When he was young, he struggled with dyslexia and dysgraphia: reading and writing.

“Too often people don’t realize the kind of self-loathing that a person feels for not being able to get it, for looking at a word over and over and not understanding it,” Coulter explained.

After years of hard work and dedication, Coulter earned a 98.8 per cent grade point average in grade 12.

He was also the Bedford Road Collegiate valedictorian and co-president.

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On Monday, he received an award of excellence from Saskatoon Public Schools.

“I do a lot of volunteer work with persons with disabilities and again I think this is because I did myself have to struggle, and struggle to achieve,” said Coulter.

Watch the video below: Graham Coulter discusses how he overcame dyslexia and dysgraphia to excel in school and life

Established in 1990, the annual award of excellence normally goes to one student, but this year, two students received the honour.

The other recipient, Rui Song, earned an average of 99.7 per cent in grade 12, and received high recognition at national and international science competitions.

One of Song’s goals is to inspire young people to pursue science.

“A huge passion of mine is science education and awareness. I just really want to show that regardless of your gender, your background, it is possible for you to follow your interests,” she explained.

Graham Coulter is now studying history at the University of Toronto, and Rui Song is studying computer science and molecular biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

As for both students’ futures, Song hopes to spend her career using computer systems to analyze biological data, and Coulter hopes to find a career to facilitate his love of writing.