What’s YOUR Superpower? Superheroes with Dyslexia Featuring Dr. Nikolai Vitti

Hello and welcome back! This week we are continuing our series called, “What’s YOUR Superpower? Superheroes with Dyslexia”.  

This week we have a very special guest. He is the Superintendent of Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) and has an impressive educational background despite having to deal with dyslexia himself. Please help us welcome, Dr. Nikolai Vitti! 

Dr. Nikolai Vitti is a native Metro Detroiter from an immigrant family who went on to pursue education first as a student, and later as an educator himself. From being a college athlete at Wake Forest University while earning his bachelor's and master's degrees to earning his doctorate degree at Harvard University, Dr. Vitti has an extraordinary educational background. But that doesn’t mean that education always came easy to him. 

Like a lot of students, Dr. Vitti had difficulties reading when he was younger and did not have the resources available to him to help with his reading comprehension and decoding. Because of this, he faced a lot of struggles in school such as teasing from other kids, which lead to a lack of confidence. It wasn’t until he found his niche in athletics that he was able to build the confidence in himself to become a leader in education. And of course, having supportive educators in his own life inspired him to be a voice and an advocate for future students who struggled like himself. 

Attending college opened many doors for Dr. Vitti, especially when it came to learning about himself and his struggles with dyslexia. Thanks to one college professor, the idea that he was possibly dealing with dyslexia was planted into his head. From this point on, Dr. Vitti went on a self-discovering process, learning as much as he could about dyslexia and how he could provide his own assistance. These efforts would prove to be fruitful, as he was able to implement these measures as he continued his career as a leader in education advocating for those with dyslexia and other learning differences. 

Since then, Dr. Nikolai Vitti has been a strong force in the field of education. With the help of his wife, Rachel Vitti, he was able to create GRASP Academy: A School for Children with Dyslexia in Jacksonville, Florida, which utilizes Orton-Gillingham based programs to help their struggling students learn how to read.  

Since coming back home to Detroit, Dr. Vitti has become the Superintendent of the Detroit Public Schools Community District for almost 7 years now and continues to be a driving force to make sure the students in his school district are getting the education and opportunities they need and deserve. Although he faces a lot of hurdles, which include funding, politics, and resources, he continues to work hard for his students. Because at the end of the day, it’s all about the students and what he can do to help them achieve their dreams. 

Dr. Nikolai Vitti has no plans of slowing down. Since getting the school district back on track after the COVID-19 pandemic, plans are in place to start helping accelerate students within the Detroit Public Schools Community District with resources for them and their parents, including the Parent Academy available on the detroitk12.org website. He believes that it is the responsibility of the school district to meet parents where they are so they can best help their children succeed. And we couldn’t agree more!

We finish up this episode with a fun lightening round of “This or That: Michigan Style” and see how Dr. Vitti feels about our Detroit sports teams, which Coney Island is his favorite, and more! Do you agree with his answers? Make sure to comment and let us know!

We would like to thank Dr. Nikolai Vitti for joining us today and sharing his story with us of overcoming his own struggles with dyslexia and being an inspiration for all of us in the field of education.

 

For more information about GRASP Academy: A School for Children with Dyslexia, check out the link here: GRASP Academy / Homepage (duvalschools.org) 

If you would like to explore the Parent Academy, check out the link here: Parent Toolbox / Parent Academy (detroitk12.org) 

Detroit Public School Community District website: Detroit Public Schools Community District / Homepage (detroitk12.org) 

 

Thank you and see you next time!

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Hosts: Katie Hodgkins, Esther Moreau
Production Manager: Michael Flees
Multimedia Specialist: Brendan Kelly
Podcast Production/Marketing: Morgan MacKew
Marketing Intern: Elena Martin