The road to a university degree is never easy, but it can be especially challenging if you have a learning disability. Glowing with inspiration, Teigen Robin is proof of someone who has overcome obstacles and has truly reached her full potential.

“I call my ADHD my superpower,” she says. “It gives me the ability to think outside the box.”

Through diagnosis, support and sheer determination, Teigen learned how to harness that superpower and use it to her advantage. In 2016, she completed her first undergraduate degree at uLethbridge.

“Crossing the stage after all of those years of hard work and struggle was an amazing feeling,” she says. 

Now working on her second degree, a Bachelor of Health Sciences in Addictions Counselling, Teigen says her professors have had a significant impact on her journey.

“From mentoring me, challenging me as a student and offering support through difficult times, my professors have influenced how I think about my education and how to use what I’ve learned to give back to the community.”

Teigen’s long-term goal is to go on to complete a Master of Counselling at uLethbridge and become a counsellor.

As you begin your post-secondary education, Teigen offers these words:

“Try hard, and don’t be afraid to ask for help; there is no shame in needing help. It is also important to be open to new experiences and to learn how to listen to people, not just hear them. You will be challenged in university and those challenges are opportunities to learn and grow.”