Matt H. Schneps

Astrophysicist / Director

Harvard Laboratory for Visual Learning

You have to figure out what your bliss is, and then you have to go after it very intensely.

About Matt H.

Although he struggled all throughout school, his teachers and parents weren’t sure what the issue was, so he was left to navigate it on his own.
He loved astronomy from a young age; when he was in high school, he planned on becoming an astronomy researcher and professor at a prestigious school.
From there his railroad track got “twisty”: when he was applying to colleges, he was rejected from most of his dream schools because of his test scores.
The only school that accepted him was MIT because they didn’t require standardized test scores.
Even then, he still didn’t know the root cause of his struggles; he knew he was bright, but he could barely navigate the Dewey Decimal System in the library.
It wasn’t until much later, when his daughter was diagnosed with dyslexia, that he started researching the condition and realized he had it as well.
Although he pursued astrophysics for some time, his research now focuses on using technology to solve or remedy learning issues.
He struggles with remembering names and incidents, but he’s used even this to his advantage—since he doesn’t remember his setbacks, he easily moves on from them.