This guest post is by Joshua Higbee, a young man on the autism spectrum who has been accepted into The College of Southern Nevada! Joshua is applying for the Spring 2021 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. Can I ask for a favor? I’m trying to make this nonprofit self-sufficient so I can make this my full-time job supporting the special needs community and would appreciate you taking a minute before reading on to watch this video below and subscribing to our Youtube page here to get to learn more about the work we do in the community.
I hope you can support my nonprofit like I’m trying to support these students with scholarship aid for college. Learn more on how you can help our cause with a small donation (just asking for $3 today, equal to your daily cup of coffee) here.
In my opinion, with autism you’re smarter than neurotypical people. Look at Albert Einstein, the person who changed math as it is today, he changed a whole way to look at problems with the simple equation E=MC^2. Look at Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, they created a multi-billion dollar company out of his basement with very little money to start with. All of these people have been rumored to have autism. We have to start looking at it like it’s a superpower instead.
Do you know how many people are bullied in school? Nearly 1 in 5 students, all because they were treated differently. When we are called weird or abnormal, those aren’t remarks, those can be changed into the thing that can lift you up to do great things like many other famous people have done. People call us boring or stupid. But did you know that Sir Issac Newton, the man who discovered gravity also was rumored to have autism.
What about Jerry Seinfeld, the man created a life out of telling jokes. These people and many more have been rumored to have autism and they still get bullied by some people but they treat this “disorder” as a gift. I’m-17 years-old, I was put down my whole life and treated as different. My whole life I wanted friends but I had to realize that society won’t change how they view me unless I make them. I’m sitting here writing this essay with 21 college credits and about to finish high school. I have many friends today, and I’ve grown out of my social anxiety.
People still make fun of me or call me names and I also still deal with a bundle of mental issues, but I’m trying to make people see that I am worth their time, that my life isn’t worth giving up and can be used to maybe solve world hunger or stop the ice caps from melting. One thing that I recommend to anyone who has autism is to start socializing with others. COVID-19 has got us stuck in our homes but we have places like online gaming or Omegle where we can start being a functional member of society without a weighted chain holding us back, but this isn’t easy.
Superheroes don’t just wake up and face villains with an iron fist, they train everyday to become the mighty heroes that we look up too.
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My name is Kerry Magro, a professional speaker and best-selling author who is also on the autism spectrum that started the nonprofit KFM Making a Difference in 2011 to help students with autism receive scholarship aid to pursue a 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.
