This guest post is by Maya Brooks who was accepted into the University of St. Thomas. Maya 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.
My name is Maya Brooks, and I was accepted into the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. I am pursuing my education while working toward a future in business and finance. I am an only child, I grew up in a single-parent household, and I was diagnosed with autism when I was two years old.
When I was younger, I was nonverbal until the age of four. I had speech therapy, early intervention, and years of support to help me find my voice. Learning to communicate was not easy, but it became one of the first examples in my life that progress is possible with patience, support, and hard work.
As I got older, I discovered that I loved numbers. When I was in third grade at Hearst Elementary School, my favorite teacher, Ms. Monaghan, told my mom that I was gifted in math. My mom began teaching me about money, and one weekend we took a train ride from Washington, DC, to New York to visit the Museum of American Finance.
That visit changed the way I saw my future.
I learned about the stock market, how companies are formed, and how businesses can grow. I became fascinated by the idea that a person could create something, build it, and share it with the world. I left that museum inspired. I wanted to start a business of my own.
A few weeks later, I had an idea.
I loved baking, and cupcakes were my favorite dessert. Every two weeks, I went to a children’s hair salon where people often waited for hours, but there was no food available. I thought the girls at the salon, the parents, and the stylists would enjoy having something sweet while they waited. I asked the salon owner if I could sell cupcakes there, and she gave me my first contract.
I was nine years old.
When I told my mom about the opportunity, I asked if she would support my vision. She said yes. My mom had always taught me to own everything in my world. She told me that no one can take away what belongs to me, including my education and anything I build for myself.
That lesson stayed with me.
I named my company Madelynn’s Bake Sale, and we created a brand. My colors were pink and purple, and I offered five cupcake flavors: Raving Red Velvet, Chocolate Ali, Victorious Vanilla, Grape Cotton Candy, and Loving Lemon.
At my grand opening, we sold out of cupcakes within an hour.
Every week, I increased the number of cupcakes I brought to the salon, and every week, they sold out. Soon, people started ordering cupcakes for parties and events. I created social media pages on Facebook and Instagram, and the business continued to grow.
My elementary school hired me to make cupcakes for graduations and school events. I was interviewed on ABC News, honored by Mayor Muriel Bowser, and featured in newspapers and Washington Parent Magazine. What began as a small idea became something bigger than I imagined.
My business also inspired my mother. As part of my brand, she launched a children’s book collection called Madelynn the CEO, sharing stories about my entrepreneurship and travel experiences.
For five years, from age 9 to 14, I learned what it meant to run a business. I learned responsibility, creativity, customer service, and persistence. I learned how to believe in an idea and follow it through.
Then COVID happened.
No one was having parties or events. The children’s hair salon closed. My cupcake company had to stop operating, and my mom returned to the workforce. Losing the business was difficult, but I did not lose what it taught me.
During COVID, school became virtual, which was also challenging. Still, I made the honor roll every semester. Three years later, I graduated from Jackson-Reed High School in Washington, DC, on June 18, 2024.
Two weeks after graduation, I enrolled in a program at Sunflower Bakery in Rockville, Maryland, where I began learning how to become a pastry chef in a professional kitchen. Baking professionally is very different from baking at home. I am learning how to make bread, cookies, pies, cakes, and larger productions.
That training reminded me that my dream is still alive.
After completing the program, I moved to Houston, Texas, to continue my education at the University of St. Thomas. My goal is to keep learning, work in a bakery as a side hustle while in school, and eventually open a commercial bakery after graduation.
I have already started thinking about calling my future business Madelynn’s Bake Sale 2.0.
Autism has been part of my journey from the beginning. Being nonverbal as a child taught me that finding your voice can take time. Running a business taught me that having a voice also means having a vision. College is the next step in building that vision.
I am proud of how far I have come. I was once a little girl learning how to speak. Then I became a young entrepreneur selling cupcakes. Now I am a college student preparing for the next chapter of my dream.
My story is still being written, and I am ready for what comes next.
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.
