This guest post is by Andres Walters, a young man on the autism spectrum. Andres is applying for the Spring 2025 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 the Next Chapter: Stories You Need to Hear About What Helped Them While Growing Up and Pursuing Their Dreams will be 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.
When you meet me, you will see an athletic kid surrounded by friends. I am social and funny. I am a good student, taking the most challenging courses at my school. I am a varsity athlete and involved in clubs. I work as a lifeguard and coach swimmers. I take pride in my appearance and attend football games and parties. The last thing you would assume about me is that I have autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
I must be very deliberate in navigating social interactions and have developed an acute self-awareness. Having ASD has also challenged me to advocate for myself. Ever since I was little, I have been an outstanding auditory learner, which is sometimes associated with ASD. My teachers would see me doodling during class and assume I wasn’t paying attention. In reality, I was engaged and absorbing all the information. At an early age, I had to learn to communicate with my teachers to help them understand what I needed to be successful.
Knowing that I (and many others) learn differently, I began to value equity in learning. I joined my school’s equity team with the goal of making sure that every student felt as comfortable as I did in advocating for themselves and getting their needs met. Whether working with the county to make school lunches more allergen-friendly or creating community groups for English learners, I take great pride in promoting equity and addressing the issues important to my peers.
Besides fostering empathy and understanding, ASD has also taught me to challenge myself. For example, I used to be very timid and afraid of interacting with new people, sticking to my small circle of friends and not branching out. I realized that in order to be successful in life and be a leader, I needed to be able to interact with a wide array of people. I began striking up conversations with people to help improve my skills, from high-achieving IB students to my gym-going friends who just emigrated from Guatemala, to my parents’ friends, and I am now able to better communicate with people, something I pride myself on.
ASD has given me many challenges: difficulty with social interactions, talking too “monotone”, being too routine-oriented, and being afraid of change, just to name a few. But these challenges have helped me better myself, I am now a more confident and compassionate person who has the foundation from ASD to be able to challenge myself. This translates into all of my life as setting goals for myself in regards to school, fitness, and self-improvement is much easier and achievable. Although I wish sometimes I never had ASD, I also have to thank for incredible goal-setting skills that will help me in college and beyond.
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.
Also, consider having Kerry, one of the only professionally accredited speakers on the spectrum in the country, speak at your next event by sending him an inquiry here. If you have a referral for someone who many want him to speak please reach out as well! Kerry speaks with schools, businesses, government agencies, colleges, nonprofit organizations, parent groups and other special events on topics ranging from employment, how to succeed in college with a learning disability, internal communication, living with autism, bullying prevention, social media best practices, innovation, presentation best practices and much more!
