BGSU student with ADHD thrives with support from University's unique FLY program

Sophomore Maddie Burnham values the personalized support from a dedicated learning specialist

By Laren Kowalczyk ‘07

In many ways, Bowling Green State University sophomore Maddie Burnham is like any other college student.

She balances a full class schedule with extracurricular activities and spending time with friends. 

Burnham also happens to have ADHD, a diagnosis she’s never let stand in the way of achieving her dreams.

“I always knew I wanted to go to college, and even though it was a little scary, I was determined to be successful,” she said.

To help navigate college as a student with ADHD, Burnham enrolled in the Falcon Learning Your Way — or FLY — Program, which provides personalized support for students with ADHD, learning differences and executive function challenges.

The program, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary during the 2025-26 academic year, is a unique differentiator of student success at BGSU, which is among roughly two dozen universities nationwide with a dedicated program to support students with learning differences.

“The FLY program is built around ensuring students have a dedicated learning specialist to help them develop and strengthen the skills they need to be successful in college and their lives,”  said Dr. Travis Brown, the program’s director. “We not only provide students with helpful tools, but we also give them the confidence to know that they can achieve their dreams. FLY students are doing incredible things at BGSU and in their careers.”

As a communication major specializing in musical theater, Burnham has a packed schedule of classes and performances. Her dream is to perform on Broadway, so she is consistently auditioning and performing in productions at BGSU and in community theater.

Burnham said her long lists of assignments and rehearsals can become overwhelming, and that’s where the FLY program has been beneficial.

“For me, it’s hard to sit down and do work when I feel overwhelmed,” Burnham said. “Breaking down the tasks really helps. The difference between high school and now is that in the past, a missing assignment would cause stress and then lead to a pattern of not completing the work because of feeling overwhelmed.

“Now, I have the support, encouragement and skills I need through Travis and the FLY program to break that cycle. I feel very strongly that I wouldn’t have been as successful as I was this year without the FLY program.”

Burnham said the relationship she has built over the past academic year with Brown, who is her learning specialist, has been instrumental in her continued success as a college student.

“It’s very vulnerable for me to admit that I need help,” she said. “The trust and bond I’ve built with Travis has given me a comfortable space to say ‘I’m struggling.’”

One of the most unique facets of the FLY program is that students meet with the same learning specialist once a week throughout the program, which Brown said provides a level of consistency that is integral to student success.

The learning specialists work with students on time management, organizational skills, learning strategies, self-advocacy and various other skills designed to help them become independent learners.

“My hope for Maddie was for her to be in a place where she would feel safe to say what she needs, to get that help and stay on track,” said Sarra Burnhman ‘98, ‘01, Maddie’s mother. “I’ve seen her confidence as a student grow significantly this year. I’m really proud of her and grateful for all of Travis’s support.”