Tanell Allen grew up in Dade City as a student labeled with special needs, having been diagnosed with dyslexia and dyscalculia, a learning disability that makes it a challenge to perform basic math problems and more abstract math. Her father was illiterate and her mother, who holds a General Educational Development (GED) was a victim of domestic violence. She later divorced Allen’s father.
She has memories of sitting in class, crying and frustrated because as hard as she tried, she couldn’t do the work. One year, unwittingly, an older student offered to complete her work if she touched him. “It was years later that I learned that was a type of sexual assault,” she said.
In eleventh grade, she scored 10 out of a possible 36 points on the ACT, a college-readiness exam.
By all accounts, the cards were stacked against her, and she seemed doomed to a fate of low-wage jobs that required little to no education.
She wasn’t going to let her challenges stop her.
She learned that her disability allowed her extra time to take tests. She also learned coping mechanisms to help her learn. To help with her dyscalculia, she would complete math problems on green or blue paper, which helped draw her attention to the work. She also recognized that her peak performance learning time, when she was most focused, was between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. so she was an early riser to study and complete homework.
A mentor, Susan Perez, PhD., introduced her to writing as a creative lens to express herself. She also assured her she was going to college and warned her to decline the special diploma that required less rigor.
“Sometimes labels are good and teach us what we need to know about ourselves and our weaknesses to learn what we need to work on,” she said. “I chose to flip the label and make the label work for me and use the resources that come with the label to graduate 13th in my class.”
Learning still wasn’t easy but more a test of her willpower and internal fortitude. After earning her cosmetology license, she felt a void in her life and, in 2003, she attended Eligin Community College in Illinois. She spent four years at the two-year college, learning how to study and be a better student. She also formed Sassy Girl, a club that helped women deal with body image and increase self-esteem.
After graduating from Elgin, her dream came true when she was accepted at Spelman College in Atlanta, where, with assistance from a student disability services team, she graduated in 2009 with a bachelor of arts in Religious Studies.
“My first year at Spelman, I dealt with being homeless, having my younger brother murdered, and was on the verge of flunking out,” she said. “There were so many great people there that recognized that I needed some help.”
She also earned a Masters in Divinity and Theology from Mercer University in 2012.
Throughout her experiences, she has leaned on her faith. “I always try to see myself as God sees me,” she said. “Faith is also a coping mechanism.”
Allen is now the program coordinator at Everyday Blessings in Lithia, where she advocates for other students with learning disabilities. She has published a book, “From Special Ed to Spelman: Against All Odds” that details her journey and shares enlightening lessons learned along the way.
“I’ve learned that our challenges do not define us; it’s how we choose to overcome them that truly shapes our destiny,” she said.
Allen’s book can be purchased on Amazon.