My name is Thomas Gambino. I am 6 foot 7, 244 pounds with an unfortunate receding hairline. Currently, I am a first year doctoral student at Rutgers University studying school psychology. Most importantly I am someone who stutters.

Growing up I was embarrassed, ashamed and disgusted with the way I spoke. I can remember walking into restaurants and running into the bathroom because I was afraid to order my food. I can remember being afraid to say my own name. I can remember the way my classmates repeated my stutter back to me and called me “retarded.” I can remember sitting quietly, screaming inside to participate in class, but not saying a word. I can remember thinking people were better me. I can remember yelling at God for making me the way I am. Growing up I wanted to keep my stutter quiet. I thought I made my friends and family look bad when I spoke; I felt like I was letting them down. I was over a foot taller than everyone, which made it hard for me to hide.  I was the biggest kid in the school, afraid to speak. 

In 8th grade, things started to change as a result of three years of speech therapy in middle school. During my graduation, I received the school’s character award. This award is given to someone that is doing the right thing regardless of whether anyone is watching. The first two gifts my stutter gave me were courage and fearlessness. When I started high school I began excelling in sports, making new friends and doing well in my academic classes. The third gift stuttering gave me was helping me see who my true friends were. If people made fun of me or did not listen to what I was saying, they were a waste of my time. On the basketball court I started varsity my junior and senior year. My junior year, we won the county championship and I was recognized individually with a few awards. The fourth gift stuttering gave me was the gift of perseverance. There were times during the basketball season that I wanted to quit, but it was my teammates and my family that kept me going.  After high school, I was recruited to play college basketball.  While playing college basketball I was able to work with many different types of children. The fifth gift my stutter gave me was empathy. I knew what it was like to be bullied and made fun of for something you can’t control.

After two years of playing college basketball, I decided to step away and take up an internship with a school psychologist. It was a life-changing experience. I was able to work with many different types of students. I learned that many, even at a younger age, were going through significantly more than I did. These students inspired me and really put my life into perspective. I found my passion in working with children. Many do not have the same support systems as I did growing up. So I want to be there for them and see them reach their biggest goals. The sixth gift my stutter gave me was finding my passion in working with children.

Today, I am a proud stutterer with limitless possibilities and potential ahead of me. My positivity and outlook on life is due to my stutter. The seventh gift my stutter gives me is being able to enjoy the littlest things in life. Plus, all the years of ridicule and bashing I received makes me unstoppable. I have heard it all before. In closing, for those that are struggling with their stutter and for those who have not found the reason why they stutter or its purpose, it will get better. We are here for a reason and so is your stutter. Your daily courage inspires everyone around you. People look up to you and you are unstoppable. What we have to say is worth repeating, is worth repeating.

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Posted Nov. 2, 2015