After a long summer day spent working at his digital marketing internship and his side job as a soccer field marshal coordinator, Andrew Wohl returned home to a curious observation by his mother, Danielle.

“Andrew, why are you wearing two rubber bands around your wrist?” she asked.

“It’s to remind myself that I have to work twice as hard to be successful,” Andrew explained.

For Andrew, the rubber bands around his left wrist weren’t just personal motivation for working through two jobs this past summer. They also embodied the mantra that the University of Oregon senior — who is the men’s club soccer co-president and a fundraising manager for Pit Crew — has ingrained in himself to help overcome his learning disability.

When Andrew was two years old, his pre-school teacher identified that he had less vocabulary usage than his peers. She recommended going to The Children’s Health Council at Stanford. Andrew’s parents, Danielle and Gary, took the observation seriously. They utilized the numerous resources and programs available within Palo Alto, California to help further his language skills.

Andrew was later diagnosed with dyslexia – a reading disability that can make it difficult for the brain to properly recognize and process letters and words. Having a structured support system helped and his confidence grew as he focused on his strengths: sports and music.

This growth translated to success in the classroom.

“Through sports, he was able to develop his work ethic, compassion for others and tenacity,” Danielle said. “Developing personal strengths can have a very powerful effect on someone in their development and drive towards success.”

Andrew became increasingly interested in others with learning disabilities that succeeded despite their own struggles. He instilled the philosophies of Winston Churchill, Richard Branson and Gavin Newsom into his own personal values and took their struggles and successes to heart.

“If they were successful with their disabilities, why can’t I?” he said. “What’s holding me back? The only thing that would be is myself. So why not just pursue it as hard as I can?”

Today, Andrew continues to push himself towards his strengths. He’s become a defensive stalwart for the Oregon men’s club soccer team as well as the club’s co-president.

On and off the field, his growth as a leader has been invaluable.

“His (Andrew’s) work ethic has always been top notch,” teammate Daley Stevens said. “He’s always had it. But four years later, the biggest difference is that he’s drawing that out of other people.”

As Andrew has grown older, he’s taken steps towards achieving success in the business world through multiple internships and his work as Pit Crew’s fundraising manager.

Equipped with a bright mind and an engaging personality, the extra time and work that Andrew has to dedicate towards the classroom because of his dyslexia isn’t the only thing that shapes him. The perseverance, unique perspective and creative methods of achieving success fostered through those experiences have also shined through.

“I’ve always prided myself on being a little different and pushing myself outside my comfort zone,” Andrew said. “I think differently, I see the world a little differently, so being able to go through college with a different experience is normal for me. I expect more from myself and I know that will pay off later in life. I really do look at it as a gift.”
Follow Chris Mosch on Twitter @chris_mosch