This guest post is by Chloe Williams who was accepted into New York University. Chloe is applying for the Spring 2026 Making a Difference Autism Scholarship via the nonprofit KFM Making a Difference started by me, Kerry Magro. I was nonspeaking till 2.5 and diagnosed with autism at 4 and you can read more about my organization here.
Autistics on Autism the Next Chapter: Stories You Need to Hear About What Helped Them While Growing Up and Pursuing Their Dreams was released on Amazon on 3/25/25 and looks at the lives over 75 Autistic adults. 100% of the proceeds from this book will go back to supporting our nonprofits many initiatives, like this scholarship program. Check out the book here. Would you like me to travel to speak with your school or company on autism and inclusion? You can contact me here for more details.
I grew up in very rural Georgia, in a trailer where rats and spiders were common and stability was not. My father spent time in jail. My mother did the best she could. We moved often. I attended three different high schools, including one in Alaska. Through it all, one thing never changed: my determination.
I was not diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder until my freshman year of college. For most of my life, I felt like there was an invisible force pushing me down. I struggled to explain why certain environments overwhelmed me or why social interactions felt like decoding a secret language. In my community, expressing those challenges often meant being labeled as “weird” rather than understood.
I was in speech therapy until second grade. I excelled academically, graduating as valedictorian of my high school class, but internally I was exhausted from masking and trying to meet expectations without knowing why everything felt harder for me than it seemed for others.
My first year at New York University was especially difficult. I was undiagnosed and had no accommodations. I struggled quietly, questioning whether I truly belonged in the spaces I had worked so hard to reach. But receiving my diagnosis at 18 did not break me — it clarified me. It gave language to experiences I had carried alone for years.
I am Black, autistic, neurodivergent, and a student who has often existed just at the edge of middle-class stability. My background is not something I use to seek sympathy. It is proof of my work ethic. My grades never dropped below a 90. Even during chaos at home, even when police showed up at my door, I stayed focused on my goals.
My safe place as a child was sitting in front of the TV watching crime shows with my grandmother. Those early memories sparked my interest in justice and human behavior. Today, as a double major in Psychology and Politics at NYU, I study the systems that shape our country and the behavioral science behind decision-making. I want to work at the intersection of policy and justice, advocating for a system that protects and understands vulnerable communities.
Autism has shaped how I see the world. It has strengthened my pattern recognition, deepened my empathy, and sharpened my analytical thinking. It has also forced me to develop resilience. Through instability, late diagnosis, and navigating college without support, I learned that I do not have to choose between surviving and thriving. I can do both.
I train consistently, push myself physically and mentally, and continue building the discipline that carried me from a rural trailer in Georgia to New York University. My journey has not been linear, but it has been intentional.
I am not uninhibited because my struggles disappeared. I am uninhibited because I now understand myself. Autism is not a limitation in my story. It is part of the architecture of my ambition.
And I am just getting started.
Kerry Magro, a professional speaker and best-selling author who is also on the autism spectrum started the nonprofit KFM Making a Difference in 2011 to help students with autism receive scholarship aid to pursue a post-secondary education. Help us continue to help students with autism go to college by making a tax-deductible donation to our nonprofit here.
Kerry Magro, a professional speaker and best-selling author who is also on the autism spectrum, founded the nonprofit KFM Making a Difference in 2011 to help students with autism receive scholarship support to pursue post-secondary education. You can help us continue supporting autistic students by making a tax-deductible donation to our nonprofit here.
You can also consider having Kerry speak at your next event by submitting an inquiry here. Kerry speaks with schools, businesses, government agencies, colleges, nonprofits, parent groups, and conferences on topics including autism, employment, college success, mental health, inclusion, and bullying prevention.
