Erin Brockovich talks to South L.A. high school students at UCLA. (Susy Guerrero/Neon Tommy)

Environmental activist Erin Brockovich told a group of South Los Angeles high school students last Wednesday that she did not like school as a child because she suffered from dyslexia.

Brockovich, 53, made the statement in the opening of her speech at UCLA's Neuroscience Research Building. She told the group that she wasn’t aware of her learning disability until she failed an exam, which she later passed after she took the test orally. 

“Don’t be afraid to be different. Different is good. Different doesn’t mean you’re inferior,” Brockovich said. 

The meeting was held by the Clinical and Translational Institute and the Institute for Molecular Medicine in part to provide educational opportunities to underprivileged students. 

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Ramón C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts, Central High School and Elizabeth Learning Center were the three South LA schools that participated in the event. 

Robert Mills, a history teacher at Elizabeth Learning Center in Cudahy, Calif., explained why it was important to bring his students to the meeting. 

Brockovich shares her latest project on communityhealthbook.com. (Susy Guerrero/Neon Tommy)

Mills also said there needed to be more forums where his kids and other South L.A. students could listen to someone, regardless if they were famous, who made a difference and were continuing to make waves. 

Although the students listened attentively to Brockovich, many didn't know who she was. 

Chris Kyaw, LEAD teacher and science instructor at Elizabeth Learning Center, admitted that many students needed to be informed of who she was prior to the meeting. 

But Brockovich didn’t seem to mind that some students didn’t recognize her.

“Do you all know who Julia Robert is?” Brockovich asked. Most students laughed and nodded their heads. Brockovich then asked the students who the big star of the moment was, to which Jennifer Lawrence’s name seemed to be said in unison. 

She took the opportunity to briefly explain the background of the film “Erin Brockovich” (2000) which tells the story of how California’s power company was accused of polluting the water supply in Hinkley, Calif.

“No one would listen because it was a bizarre story. I didn’t have a toxicology degree, I wasn’t a doctor or a lawyer, but I knew what I saw wasn’t right,” Brockovich said.

Students meet with Brockovich after the session and take pictures. (Susy Guerrero/Neon Tommy)

Later in meeting she shared her latest project, communityhealthbook.com, which focuses on environmental issues across the country. On a large screen, a map of the U.S. was shown with several multicolored dots. Each dot represented a place where someone reported on an environmental issue in his or her town. 

The site is also a platform where individuals can network with others on environmental issues and contact their local city officials about the problem. 

Brockovich explained that the two-year project is a cross between Foursquare and Facebook. She hopes that it can be the start of a discussion about the countless environmental issues around the country. 

“By the time everything loads, you cannot see the United States. I’d like to work with Yahoo to extrapolate what these numbers are. I want that map to be seen,” she said. 

Mills shared that his students were very pleased with the meeting, saying that most thought it was wonderful. Kyaw followed up by saying that the most important piece of advice given to his students was to be true to yourself and to trust your instincts. 

Reach Staff Reporter Susy Guerrero here. Follow her on Twitter.