MEET AUTHOR RICHARD DYKSTRA

Richard Dykstra completed twelve years of education before discovering that he had a major learning disability. It was not until he took entrance exams at the Milwaukee School of Engineering that he found he was only reading at a fourth-grade level. He was also told that he appeared to be a “chronic daydreamer.” When the learning disability was found, Rich modified his study habits in a way that forced him to concentrate on the material being taught. Those changes transformed him from high-school class clown to college valedictorian in just four years. Since then, he has qualified for Mensa, operated his own engineering firm, had dozens of technical papers and books published, sponsored sports teams that won eighteen state championships, and was an inaugural member of the Cedar Grove-Belgium High School Hall of Fame. Now Rich serves as a motivational speaker, giving hope to daydreamers while touting family values and sharing inspirational stories about growing up in rural Wisconsin.