LONG ISLAND, N.Y. — Cora Walsh walks home from middle school every day. It's only a few tree-lined blocks in Rockville Centre on Long Island, but the movement helps clear her head of the school day. She probably thinks about how the brain works more than most seventh-graders.
"I want to be a doctor," she says. "And I want to go to Princeton and major in neuroscience."
Her fascination started a few years ago when she was struggling to figure out what was happening in her own head.
"It's kind of confusing what it is like in my brain," she says. All she knew back then was that reading was hard. Even when she spent more time working on it than her friends, she could never reach their level.
Like millions of Americans, Cora has dyslexia, but it took her almost five years to get the correct diagnosis.
Her podcast about the journey to understanding her own mind is the grand prize winner for middle school in this year's NPR Student Podcast Challenge. "Dyslexia and MEE" was chosen from nearly 1,500 submissions from 42 states and the District of Columbia.
"I feel really excited," Cora says about her victory. Her parents, who spent the whole journey right by her side, are thrilled too.
"This is a kid that works so hard and has such a good attitude," says her mom, Emily Johnson. "I'm so proud of her."
Finding the right learning style
Cora has come a long way. She has received tutoring for her dyslexia for two years now.
Her podcast takes the listener along to one of her lessons. She sounds out words over Zoom, and her tutor gives her feedback and tips. They don't move too fast, making sure Cora really understands something before moving on.
It can be tedious, but her hard work outside the classroom is starting to pay off.
"I think I'm a better reader now, and I enjoy it a lot more," she says. "I feel more comfortable reading bigger books, but not too big!"
Her mom says that this summer marked a turning point: She saw her daughter reading the first book in the Hunger Games series.
"She would pick it up for fun, and she would go read to [her pet] rabbit. Or we were traveling this summer, and she read on the train," Johnson says. "I mean, it's the first time that's ever happened."
It was a winding road to get to this point, but Cora and her parents are excited to see where it goes. Winning NPR's national competition is another bright spot.
"I'm kind of just proud of myself that I overcame this hard, annoying thing," she says. "And proud of myself that I created something really cool and interesting that everyone can listen to."
Cora hopes that her podcast might help dyslexia feel a little less scary for listeners and maybe even reach younger students who are still trying to figure out their own learning styles.
"I would say: Always try your hardest, and don't sell yourself short," she says. "I think trying is … the best thing you can do."
Cora Walsh is still trying: She just checked out that second Hunger Games book from the library.
Listen to Cora Walsh's "Dyslexia and MEE."
Edited by Steve Drummond.
Copyright 2026 NPR
