September 27, 2026

This guest essay is by Abigail Gonzalez. Hello, my name is Abigail Gonzalez. I am a Hispanic woman with Autism. I am writing this essay in order for a chance at a scholarship in order to fulfill my dreams of being a college graduate, and achieve my goal of walking across the stage and being

This guest essay is by Kendall "Margie" Connerton. Kendall Connerton is an 18-year-old college student with autism who is pursuing a degree in Forensic Investigation. Once nonverbal as a young child, she has grown into someone learning to advocate for herself, embrace what makes her different, and pursue a future she once was not sure

This guest essay is by Ella Basatemur. Ella Basatemur is a Business Management student who is passionate about serving others through faith, compassion, and leadership. As a Christian, she believes every person is created in the image of God and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. She hopes to use her education to

This guest essay is by Shalanda Guzman. Hi everyone! My name is Shalanda Guzman. I'm currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in Information Technology with a concentration in Cybersecurity. I also have AuDHD, which has taught me the importance of perseverance, finding strategies that work for me, and embracing the way I learn and think. I'm

This guest essay is by Caile Dawson. Caile Dawson (2008) is a student and illustrator for the book Little Vivian's Star-Filled Dream. She attends South Pointe High School for education. As a third grader, I realized I was not like most of my Gifted and Talented classmates. My peers focused on academic concepts with little

This guest essay is by Nathaniel Kutch. When I was diagnosed with Autism, I suffered a lot of challenges growing up. These challenges I have conquered, and I always look forward to what's next. It was 5 days before Christmas that year. That very day, my mom had brought me, little Nathan, into this world

This guest essay is by Nathan Flindall. My family and adult acquaintances suspected I had autism from around the time I was two years old, due to symptoms such as my irregular speech, hyperfixations, extreme shyness, etc. I was frequently bullied for traits correlating with my symptoms and sometimes explicitly for being autistic, often being

This guest essay is by Emmanuel Dominguez. My life as an autistic person has had its up and down, a lot of people have see me as odd, weird, or sometimes a creep, but I am not that. Like everyone else I am a human being who feels the same as a every other person,

This guest essay is by Marlon Santos. My family came to Los Angeles in 1982, fleeing the civil war in El Salvador. My mother is a nanny, and my father works on car upholstery. I am a first-generation college student at UC Riverside pursuing a degree in Music. Growing up, my family never made me