Leslie Pensa’s struggles with previously undiagnosed ADHD meant she had to repeat a year in medical school.  While not uncommon, students who repeat a year because of academic difficulty (also referred to as “recycling students”) can face stigma especially with the perfection myth still believed by many as the uncompromising “truth” of medical school.

Pensa’s experiences, however, changed her mind about this “perfection or failure” mentality, and along with fellow recycling students Zeb Akers, Alex Edgil and Heather Moore helped found the Detour Interest Group.

According to The University of Alabama at Birmingham article “Detour Interest Group provides academic and emotional support to struggling students”  by Caitlin Miley, Detour provides emotional and academic support to recycling students, as well as remediating students, students who are at high risk academically and students who fail any part of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE).

Seeking to stop the stigma associated with failure, the group’s name comes from a quote by motivational speaker Zig Ziglar: “Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street.”  Pensa, who became Detour’s president, explained for the article that students struggling academically have options, including ones she used when she learned that she has ADHD.

“We can also help direct students to counseling services, such as the Professional Development Office, or in the case of a learning disability, to Disability Support Services,” Pensa said. 

For further information about Detour, visit The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s website. 

Information courtesy of The University of Alabama at Birmingham