This guest post is by Victoria Davis, a young woman on the autism spectrum who was diagnosed with PDD-NOS at the age of 11 and has been accepted into Toccoa Falls College. Victoria is applying for the Spring 2022 Making a Difference Autism Scholarship via the nonprofit KFM Making a Difference started by me, Kerry Magro. I was nonverbal till 2.5 and diagnosed with autism at 4, and you can read more about my organization here. Autistics on Autism: Stories You Need to Hear About What Helped Them While Growing Up and Pursuing Their Dreams, our nonprofit’s new book, was released on March 29, 2022, on Amazon here for our community to enjoy featuring the stories of 100 autistic adults.
I am unique because there is only one of me in the world. I am who God created me to be and he doesn’t make any mistakes. I stand proudly and proclaim, “I am who I am!” So, what specifically makes me unique? Autism! I am an autistic young woman who believes she has been created this way to impact the world. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. My true identity is what matters most to me. I belong to the Lord and, as my daddy says, “you are carved to beautify a palace by the life you live and the people you influence.”
Autism can have challenges for some people but the Lord, my parents, my counselor, and other positive influences in my life have helped me to understand that life is not all about me. It’s about using the life I have to impact others. I don’t need to be concerned about what people say about me because what they say isn’t what matters most. What matters is how I respond as a person. Jesus Christ has changed my life, both now and forever, and I am His masterpiece. I am confident in my uniqueness.
A lot of people in our culture today struggle with who they are. There was a time in my life when I struggled. Up until I was twelve, my autism was undiagnosed. I struggled greatly with making friends and being a friend. I never understood why my classmates didn’t want to be around me. I was mostly nonverbal. My parents took notice and wondered why I was “different.” Getting a diagnosis of autism was one of the greatest blessings that happened to me and my parents. We were able to move forward with a plan! My parents learned how to help me more effectively. My friends understood me in a different way. People began to accept me for just being me.
We discovered a school that was perfect for my needs: Fideles Christian School. Later on, Chick-fil-A hired me with a full understanding of my struggles. And, by the way, Chick-fil-A has believed in me enough over the past three years to give me promotions, one of which is that I am now a trainer. My life is being utilized to equip others to be successful. In the Fall, I will step into a new season of life that I never thought possible. I will be a student at Toccoa Falls College! I will pursue a degree in Sustainable Community Development in which I will prepare to go into impoverished communities and help them establish systems by which they can provide for their most essential needs of life.
Autism doesn’t control me. It enables me to be who I am. I am different but a difference-maker. I am comfortable in my giftedness and compassionate toward the struggles others have in life. I look forward to thriving in the midst of any and all challenges that may come my way. I am happy, joyful, and confident with who I am and that is what I’m most proud of because it makes me unique.
Follow my journey on Facebook, my Facebook Fan Page, Tiktok, Youtube & Instagram.
My name is Kerry Magro, a professional speaker and best-selling author who is also on the autism spectrum. I started the nonprofit KFM Making a Difference in 2011 to help students with autism receive scholarship aid to pursue post-secondary education. Help support me so I can continue to help students with autism go to college by making a tax-deductible donation to our nonprofit here.
Autistics on Autism: Stories You Need to Hear About What Helped Them While Growing Up and Pursuing Their Dreams was released on March 29, 2022 on Amazon here for our community to enjoy featuring the stories of 100 autistic adults. 100% of the proceeds from this book will go back to our nonprofit to support initiatives like our autism scholarship program. In addition, this autistic adult’s essay you just read will be featured in a future volume of this book as we plan on making this into a series of books on autistic adults.
