As she nears her 18th birthday May 28, Bothell’s Page Ive can’t help but be blown away about how far she’s progressed over the years.

Up until fourth grade, her dysgraphia (inability to write legibly by hand) went undiagnosed, she was slower at comprehending lessons than her classmates and she experienced attention deficit disorder (ADD).

“I tried so hard, and it was the most frustrating and difficult time of my life,” she said while relaxing at Starbucks in Juanita Village on Wednesday. “I wanted to learn and I knew I was smart, but it was hard to believe in myself when everyone kept telling me that I was either lazy or that I was dumb.”

With a wide smile and confident voice, the Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences (SAAS) senior explained that her mother, Leanne, and Explorer West middle-school instructor Rick Marting soon got her on track to picking up the pieces of experiencing low grades and inspiring her to excel in the classroom. It took a while, but the growth process and grasp of success was worth the wait.

Last month, Page traveled to New York City to receive an Anne Ford and Allegra Ford Scholarship at the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) benefit dinner. She’ll receive $10,000 over the next four years for her undergraduate studies at Stanford University.

“One of the reasons why I’m kind of overachieving today, and the reason I push myself so hard to learn as much as I can, was because I couldn’t before fourth grade,” said Page, who still suffers from the mentioned disabilities. “Before that, I couldn’t focus at all — until eighth grade, I struggled.

“By eighth grade, I’ve got all the mechanics down, I’ve caught up, brought up to speed and I’m ready to use those tools and shine. And I don’t wanna turn it off because I have never been able to shine so much.”

She worked harder because Marting and other instructors motivated her, she was able to use a computer to write out assignments and she was receiving the right medication for her ADD.

It’s been a long, tough yet ultimately satisfying road, and on June 15, Page will graduate from high school with a 3.98 grade-point average (4.16 weighted with honors courses).

“The computer was such an important tool in me being able to express myself,” said Page, who received all A’s and one B-plus in high school and took honors courses in biology, chemistry, history and calculus. “To see exactly what I’m writing, get my thoughts out on paper, visually — and I’m not gonna be exhausted by the second paragraph. I could just fly out ideas, fly out sentences, edit them, change them … I love to write.”

Added Leanne: “Suddenly, we could see what’s in her head, we can see it written.”

Page basked in her new-found expressive freedom by knocking out a 30-page Word document on the “Grapes of Wrath” for Marting, she said.

Marting noted that while it’s gratifying to have a hand in Page’s success and see her transform into an “academic fireball,” he added that: “She worked so hard herself, and that’s really what made the difference.”

Thanks to Leanne’s perseverance and discussions with the disabilities resource center at school, Page received special accommodations like computer usage and extra time to complete the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and write a solid essay that impressed admissions officials at Stanford.

“She’s done everything to make sure that I have been able to achieve my full potential,” Page said of her mom.

“She’s curious about everything, so that made it easy. It was motivating for me to find opportunities (that interested her),” said Leanne, whose daughter is hooked on science — especially black holes — interns at start-up company Hydra Volts and plays the harmonica. “She always wants new experiences and doesn’t want to just hang out with a group at the mall.”

Case and point: Traveling to New York to accept her Ford scholarship and meet Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Anne Ford, fellow winner Mackenzie Meyer of Rochester, NY, and be around a host of influential people who are disability-rights and -awareness advocates.

Page said she was shocked and honored to win the scholarship and pleased to cross the gap between Bothell and New York in making an impact on others by sharing her story, in person and through her essay, “Turning my Invisible Disability into Visible Advocacy.”

“I had no idea that my writing would actually have an impact on somebody else’s life,” Page said with pride. “And that’s the best part about it because they published the winning essays on the NCLD Web site, and there’s comments on it of people I don’t even know who said, ‘This is so empowering and inspiring, thank you for giving me hope.’ That’s just such an honor to have someone give me a stage to have my voice.”

And Page is ready to share some more at Stanford, which has a stellar disability resource center and whose members have already written her and sent a DVD mapping out their offerings. Leanne added that Page has found her “tribe” of new friends and mentors who will guide her on the next step of her life’s path.

“I’ve always been really good at self-advocating, still it’s really intimidating going out into the world and starting from scratch. I’m definitely ready, I’m gonna make it work … I can take classes to make sure that I’m learning at my own pace,” she said of attending Stanford. “I know I’m going where there’s so much support in the first place, I’m not just going into uncharted waters.”

Page also has her creativity and trusty computer at the ready: “All I need is an Excel spreadsheet and a Word document and I’m good to go.”

• Extra activities

She is involved with Mobility International USA, an organization that hosts teenagers with disabilities from Bahrain. She traveled to Bahrain as a consultant to work with the program.

In Bothell, she has been instrumental in organizing a fully accessible theater program for children with disabilities.