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GAINESVILLE, Florida <\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 For J\u00f3hanna Birna Bjartmarsd\u00f3ttir, being an EduGator means doing your best to improve the lives of others. Having faced her own share of challenges, J\u00f3hanna sees this identity as a lifelong commitment to leave the world a better place.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt’s not just something that you are for four years,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n The UF <\/span>education science<\/span><\/a> sophomore, who is from Iceland,<\/span> had to overcome a \u201ccompounding force of adversity\u201d to get to where she is today, including unfathomable childhood trauma as well as having ADHD, autism and dyslexia. Now, she is using her own experiences and strength to advocate for those who cannot fight for themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf I don\u2019t stand up to others, I\u2019m just like someone else who didn\u2019t stand up for me,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n After being hospitalized and in a wheelchair for over two years, she said she is proudest of her ability to walk. She feels a responsibility to help others gain access to the resources they need to live happy lives. Her desire is motivated by the lasting impact of the coping strategies she was taught from Icelandic support programs for children who have been sexually assaulted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n These tools and strategies gave her an early advantage, she said, and it helped her get better. J\u00f3hanna believes and hopes these challenges are the hardest things she will face in life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEverything else is just a bonus,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s like a second chance, so I\u2019m just trying to do the best that I can with that to help others.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Specifically, J\u00f3hanna aspires to create a health literacy curriculum for K-12 education, empowering students to lead healthy lives, make informed decisions and overcome adversity, according to her <\/span>website<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Her mission to help children keeps her motivated over time, and she sees creating this curriculum as her calling. She believes there is a great need for it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Her efforts are already paying off in her home country of Iceland. In January, she had the opportunity to present at the <\/span>2023 annual conference<\/span><\/a> of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department at <\/span>Landsp\u00edtalinn, the National University Hospital of Iceland. <\/span>The presentation was surreal, she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Nurses and doctors who treated her in the hospital and knew the severity of her condition were present at the conference, which J\u00f3hanna described as a full circle experience.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThat’s my favorite moment \u2014 to be able to have shared that with them,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd them being able to see how far I came when nobody thought I could ever walk.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n After her presentation, J\u00f3hanna received countless messages from people who relate to her story \u2014 whether through their own experiences or that of a partner, sibling or child.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s so weird because nobody talks about these things,\u201d she said. \u201cBut, when you talk about [it], you actually see this touches everybody, and everybody can relate.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n J\u00f3hanna\u2019s work has also opened up opportunities for her to conduct research and collaborate with <\/span>\u00c1smundur Einar Da\u00f0ason, who is Iceland\u2019s <\/span>minister of education and children. She had the opportunity to meet with him about improving the nation\u2019s education system this February.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The nation is very interested in J\u00f3hanna\u2019s work and wants to incorporate a program like the one she hopes to develop into its education system.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s such an exciting time to be able to actually put something in when it\u2019s being built,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n She is currently working on a scoping review of health literacy curricula that teaches students about CPR training, mental and physical health promotion, nutrition, coping strategies and communication. Because of her own experiences with these challenges, she feels even more qualified to take on this research.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI hope to shed light on the fact autism or ADHD or dyslexia shouldn\u2019t deter anybody from pursuing higher education,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause we need those people to do research, and we need those people to bring their experience into the research.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n J\u00f3hanna said her experience at UF has allowed her to use all her qualities to become her best self. She has excelled at the College of Education and is very grateful for the supportive community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This summer, J\u00f3hanna will study abroad in London and Paris, as well as participate in a medical internship in Guatemala.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI feel like the pieces are falling together, and it\u2019s so rewarding because I\u2019ve worked so hard,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Above all, J\u00f3hanna hopes people begin changing their outlook on labels like autism, dyslexia and ADHD. It is not an impairment, she said, but rather simply difference.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not here despite those things,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m here because of them.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":20755,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"GAINESVILLE, Florida <\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 For J\u00f3hanna Birna Bjartmarsd\u00f3ttir, being an EduGator means doing your best to improve the lives of others. Having faced her own share of challenges, J\u00f3hanna sees this identity as a lifelong commitment to leave the world a better place.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n\u201cIt's not just something that you are for four years,\u201d she said.<\/span>\n\nThe UF <\/span>education science<\/span><\/a> sophomore, who is from Iceland,<\/span> had to overcome a \u201ccompounding force of adversity\u201d to get to where she is today, including unfathomable childhood trauma as well as having ADHD, autism and dyslexia. Now, she is using her own experiences and strength to advocate for those who cannot fight for themselves.<\/span>\n\n\u201cIf I don\u2019t stand up to others, I\u2019m just like someone else who didn\u2019t stand up for me,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nAfter being hospitalized and in a wheelchair for over two years, she said she is proudest of her ability to walk. She feels a responsibility to help others gain access to the resources they need to live happy lives. Her desire is motivated by the lasting impact of the coping strategies she was taught from Icelandic support programs for children who have been sexually assaulted.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nThese tools and strategies gave her an early advantage, she said, and it helped her get better. J\u00f3hanna believes and hopes these challenges are the hardest things she will face in life.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n\u201cEverything else is just a bonus,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s like a second chance, so I\u2019m just trying to do the best that I can with that to help others.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\n\nSpecifically, J\u00f3hanna aspires to create a health literacy curriculum for K-12 education, empowering students to lead healthy lives, make informed decisions and overcome adversity, according to her <\/span>website<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\n\nHer mission to help children keeps her motivated over time, and she sees creating this curriculum as her calling. She believes there is a great need for it.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nHer efforts are already paying off in her home country of Iceland. In January, she had the opportunity to present at the <\/span>2023 annual conference<\/span><\/a> of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department at <\/span>Landsp\u00edtalinn, the National University Hospital of Iceland. <\/span>The presentation was surreal, she said.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nNurses and doctors who treated her in the hospital and knew the severity of her condition were present at the conference, which J\u00f3hanna described as a full circle experience.<\/span>\n\n\u201cThat's my favorite moment \u2014 to be able to have shared that with them,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd them being able to see how far I came when nobody thought I could ever walk.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\n\nAfter her presentation, J\u00f3hanna received countless messages from people who relate to her story \u2014 whether through their own experiences or that of a partner, sibling or child.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s so weird because nobody talks about these things,\u201d she said. \u201cBut, when you talk about [it], you actually see this touches everybody, and everybody can relate.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\n\nJ\u00f3hanna\u2019s work has also opened up opportunities for her to conduct research and collaborate with <\/span>\u00c1smundur Einar Da\u00f0ason, who is Iceland\u2019s <\/span>minister of education and children. She had the opportunity to meet with him about improving the nation\u2019s education system this February.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nThe nation is very interested in J\u00f3hanna\u2019s work and wants to incorporate a program like the one she hopes to develop into its education system.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s such an exciting time to be able to actually put something in when it\u2019s being built,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nShe is currently working on a scoping review of health literacy curricula that teaches students about CPR training, mental and physical health promotion, nutrition, coping strategies and communication. Because of her own experiences with these challenges, she feels even more qualified to take on this research.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n\u201cI hope to shed light on the fact autism or ADHD or dyslexia shouldn\u2019t deter anybody from pursuing higher education,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause we need those people to do research, and we need those people to bring their experience into the research.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\n\nJ\u00f3hanna said her experience at UF has allowed her to use all her qualities to become her best self. She has excelled at the College of Education and is very grateful for the supportive community.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nThis summer, J\u00f3hanna will study abroad in London and Paris, as well as participate in a medical internship in Guatemala.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n\u201cI feel like the pieces are falling together, and it\u2019s so rewarding because I\u2019ve worked so hard,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nAbove all, J\u00f3hanna hopes people begin changing their outlook on labels like autism, dyslexia and ADHD. It is not an impairment, she said, but rather simply difference.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not here despite those things,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m here because of them.\u201d <\/span>\n\n