Iris van der Velden June 2021 SENIA World Changer Award Recipient

As part of her IBO MYP Personal Project, Iris researched her diagnosis of ADHD. The final product of her project was a presentation to the elementary teachers about ADHD, its causes, impacts and what teachers can do to support ADHD in the classroom.

 Iris went through the identification process in middle school and as she has matured through high school she embraced the opportunity to dig into her own understanding of what this diagnosis means to her identity and how it impacts her learning. It was important to her to return to speak to her elementary teachers about how they can support students and their families with ADHD. 

The impact of Iris’ presentation was enormous. Teachers and leadership left feeling more confident in being able to talk about neuro-diverse learners around their needs. The Vietnam SENIA representative has asked her to present at their monthly meetings and in May 2021 she will present to her current teachers in the secondary school. Iris is a role model in the school community of a strong, resilient, and proud neuro-diverse student.

Congratulations to Iris van der Velden as the recipient of June 2021 SENIA World Changer Award!