Leslie Dickson-Tetteh

leslie dickson tetteh
Junior Product Manager

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leslie’s current role is working in technology in the product department at Cera, a mixture of social care and a tech startup. Leslie completed a degree in Medicine at Oxford University, alongside a year out working in the creative industries. As an undergraduate, Leslie was also writing poetry and learning guitar, engaging his mind in a creative way, which he felt was why he wasn’t enjoying the Medicine course which felt too prescriptive.

 

Working on products that are useful, Leslie is drawn to technology and its need to innovate, to be creative and make use of analytical thinking from science, whilst also providing a stable income.

 

Leslie talks about:

 

  • Struggling with auditory processing but having a very strong visual memory and imagination

  • Moving out of the UK education system age 8 and getting a fresh start in Nigeria, being seen as the smart kid and never looking back

  • Visual Stress: how hard it is to read on a white background or screen, and not realising how much this affected reading exams papers

  • Saving time in exams using a coping mechanism of not planning essays

  • Not finishing Biology and Chemistry A-level  exams because of not having extra time

  • Getting a dyslexia diagnosis in second year of university

 

Please follow the link to the interview.

 

 

“I do remember being the last one being able to read and write - actually I think the school kind of gave up teaching me to read. It was actually a lot of input form my grandmother which got me there [...] we’d go to the library and she used to help me read books at night. [...] Everybody just assumed I was slow and stupid and that was just ok I guess. When I was able to read, that was a game changer academically. Basically with my dyslexia is very much auditory, auditory working memory is the stuff I struggle with - if you are trying to teach me in a lecture, where you are speaking, it is just never going to work, I just don't operate that way.”

 

“I am a very slow reader - I often lose my place, I have this thing sometimes where I am looking at the page and the words are there, sometimes they are moving a little bit but they are there, the biggest thing is I am able to read you the word but the words contain no meaning though, so I have to just reread the paragraph but it not like i am reading words is almost like looking at a symbol that contain no weight, and maybe i'll look away and snap back in again the words have meaning again.”

 

“I think it was probably a massive weight off my shoulders having that diagnosis. It’s what they say sometimes is the worst thing is not knowing, and when you do know its ‘eh’.”