Learning disability drives 19-year-old college grad to succeed

From the San Diego Union-Tribune in California:

RANCHO PENASQUITOS, Calif. — Sean O'Callaghan is 19 and in a hurry.

Ever since the Rancho Peñasquitos resident was diagnosed with a learning disability in the third grade, he has been on a mission to outhustle everybody around him.

He was an Eagle Scout at 14. He graduated from high school in three years. He earned a bachelor's degree from San Diego State University in 2½ years.

Now he's off to England for a graduate degree in investigative psychology. He'd like to eventually work for the FBI, maybe as a profiler.

“He's like a dog that won't let go of the bone,” said Stuart Henry, director of the School of Public Affairs at SDSU and one of O'Callaghan's advisers. “He doesn't give up.”

Not for long, anyway. Shortly before he started his college studies, O'Callaghan (pictured) was diagnosed with epilepsy, scuttling a long-held dream to join the Navy and become a pilot.

The diagnosis also cost him his driver's license, which meant he had to take the bus to school – a two-hour trip. Discouraging? Yes. Defeating? Don't make him laugh.

“Every time he gets a setback, it just makes him work harder,” said his father, Patrick.

O'Callaghan was born in Rockford, Ill., and came to San Diego with his family when he was 4. A few years later, he was diagnosed with an auditory disorder that inhibits the ability to process sounds.

He went to Westview High School, where he realized midway through his junior year that he had nearly enough credits to graduate.

“I went in to talk to a counselor about what kinds of classes I would take as a senior, and it was mostly electives,” he said. “I'm not a big art person.”

By taking a language class at night through Palomar College, he was able to finish his high school requirements in three years, graduating with the class of 2006.

It was too late to apply to four-year colleges for the fall semester, so he looked at community colleges. He could take only the classes he wanted by going to four campuses: Palomar, Miramar, Mesa and City. So that's what he did.

SDSU rejected his application to enroll for the spring 2007 semester, but he said he appealed and talked his way into a meeting with a dean, who put in a good word. The appeal was granted.

O'Callaghan decided early on that one of the hardest things about college was coming back after a lengthy semester break. “I eliminated that by not taking any breaks,” he said. In between terms, he took classes at community colleges.

Not terribly social, he also decided he didn't care much about the party life at SDSU. So he lived at home, with his parents and two younger sisters.

O'Callaghan took 15 units, or five classes, his first semester at SDSU (a normal load is 12-15), then 10 in fall 2007. He was just getting warmed up.

By Spring 2008, he had settled on criminal justice as his major. He took 18 units at SDSU and 18 units at community colleges, a double-dipping not recommended by academic counselors. During the summer term, he took 15 units at SDSU and 15 units at community colleges.

Because of his epilepsy, he was given extra help, including more time on tests. And some of the community college classes were online, which made the logistics easier.

In the fall term, which ended two months ago, he finished the 120 units required for a bachelor's degree with three classes and an internship at the local FBI office. His SDSU diploma arrived in the mail last week.

“I'm not smart,” he said. (His SDSU GPA was 2.96.) “I just work hard.”

Henry, the SDSU adviser, said O'Callaghan stood out among the 650 students in the criminal justice program because of his tenacity. “He was pushy, but not in a bad way. It was more like, 'How do I do this? How do I do that?' ”

O'Callaghan's next stop is the University of Huddersfield, about two hours north of London by train. He starts in April. He hopes to focus his research on a comparison of FBI criminal profiling with the “investigative psychology” practiced at Scotland Yard.

The program takes about three years to finish. For most people.