A McAllen Independent School District student with dyslexia is breaking learning barriers, and he hopes to inspire other children like him.

Gael Reyes is in fifth grade at Roosevelt Elementary School, and he's now reading at a middle school level. Something he never thought, "When I was younger, picking up a book would be really hard to see or even see the title. What I would see is like words moving around," Reyes said.

He was in second grade when he found out he had dyslexia.

"I was very confused, I was surprised. I did not know why. My dyslexic teacher explained it to me, why I'm dyslexic and also how I can help myself," Reyes said.

Reyes then joined McAllen ISD's Core 5 reading program. The program is designed for students with dyslexia.

It incorporates independent reading lessons, while the teacher tracks data on the student's progress. The district launched it four years ago.

"This is a blended program that we offer here in the dyslexia lab where we offer writing, reading and Lexia Core 5, which is the five components of reading," Roosevelt Elementary School Dyslexia Specialist Bianca Castro said.

When Reyes started the program, he was at a level 9. Now, he's reached level 21, which means he completed the program at the elementary school level. Now as he begins the fifth grade.

Reyes is moving on to the middle school level program called Power Up.

"I feel accomplished, because when I started I felt like I couldn't finish a single level," Reyes said.

He's only the second student to achieve this goal.

At Roosevelt Elementary School, Reyes wants all kids with dyslexia across the Rio Grande Valley to not let their learning disabilities define or limit them.