The Mentis Story

If you’re going through hell, keep going. – Winston Churchill, a dyslexic

    Among the influences Will attributes to his desire to serve his country and community is the uphill battle he fought to overcome the challenges of dyslexia.

    Struggling significantly with reading and writing in elementary and middle school, Will was often labeled a slacker or incompetent and frequently subjected, in and outside the classroom, to derogatory name-calling from students and teachers alike.  With time, his teachers grew increasingly frustrated that a student could consistently outperform a class in certain tasks, while struggling so greatly with those that seemed the most basic. Such frustration was often taken out on Will himself. Academic troubles soon spilled over to other areas of his life. 

    During this period, Will used a variety of outlets to fuel his growth.  Scouting and sports became areas where he could put his critical thinking skills to use while building leadership experience.  Such growth, however, did not quickly translate to improved standing in the public school system. 

    When diagnosed with dyslexia at 13 years-old, Will transferred to the Linden Hill School, a small junior boarding school in Northfield, Massachusetts for boys with reading-based learning disabilities.  Here, he was able to bridge the reading gap with his peers and, with hard work, gain entrance into The Gunnery, a competitive college preparatory school in Washington, Connecticut.

    With his recently-acquired basic reading capability, Will was able to achieve passing grades at The Gunnery, but struggled to break out of the bottom third of his class.  On the suggestion of the dean of students, who also served as his lacrosse coach, he spent the latter half of his junior year on Ocean Classroom, a semester at sea program, where he crewed and took classes aboard a 125 ft. schooner.  In the process of covering 6,000 nautical miles throughout the Caribbean Sea and as far North in the Atlantic as Maine, the last void between academic theory and practical application was filled. 

    Within months of his return to The Gunnery, Will moved from the bottom third of his class to the top student in the school, finishing his high school career as the only student with straight Distinctions (equivalent to 97% and higher), while playing three varsity sports and captaining the wrestling team.

    At Gettysburg College, his progress accelerated.  In his first two years he was twice elected Class President and Class Senator, was selected to represent the student body on the Board of Trustees College Life Committee, founded the Class of 2007 Leadership Council, and maintained a GPA over 3.9.  He went on to spend his junior year at Oxford University before traveling to the Gobi Desert of Mongolia to serve as a research assistant on an archaeological dig as well as East Africa, where he served as a Global Service Corps volunteer and conducted an anthropological study on cultural identity among the indigenous Maasai and Meru tribes.

    Will went on to complete his undergraduate studies, earning Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude honors, and accept a place in one of Oxford University's most competitive master's programs. 

    Having returned home from serving as a Department of Defense adviser for Regimental Combat Teams 1 and 5, USMC in Afghanistan, Will attributes his desire to give back to his country and community, and the development of the skills necessary to do so, to his experiences learning to cope with the challenges of dyslexia.

    As he stated, “sure, it would be nice to read faster and be able to finish long projects in a few hours like many others may be able to do, but the… perspective, problem-solving skills, work ethic, and sense of determination that’s been instilled in me will serve me far better in the long run.” 

    He continued, "I was fortunate enough to get the attention and pull together the resources I needed to go to some great schools where I could really find my track. There are a lot of young people out there, however, who don’t have the same opportunities or think they’re not bright because they have trouble reading. That’s why I founded The Mentis Foundation."

    "Every dyslexic is smart and can have a profound impact on our world, we just need to give them a nudge in the right direction, provide some desperately needed inspiration, and do what we can to create a social environment where they don’t have to be afraid of learning differently."