Buy Kerry’s nonprofit a cup of coffee here
This guest post is by Taylor Michael Ruegg, a young man on the autism spectrum who was accepted into Baton Rouge Community College. Taylor 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.
Posted by Kerry Magro on Thursday, January 7, 2021
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.
I was born and raised in the grand state of Louisiana. Throughout my life, I felt like I was a bit of an outsider. I am not a big sports fan, I’m not very smart in a couple of areas and I am not very good socially. My family has always been there to keep me going even when the going gets tough. My mom always helped me when I was bullied, my stepfather has wonderful and my brother and stepsister have been the best siblings I could have ever asked for. I have always looked up to them because I believed them to be smarter and wiser than me.
I have come to realize that for many people, especially for those on the spectrum, intelligence comes in all forms. For me, my knowledge helps comes in the form of media like movies, video games, and foreign cultures. My diagnosis of autism made me realize that all of my quirks and special skills make me who I am.
I have decided on three possible career possibilities: Movie producer and director (my dream), Stand-up comedian, and teacher. I have decided on teacher as a third potential career because of my past experience as a student in public schools. Teachers from my experience don’t really help when a student is being bullied on or off-campus. I want to help students achieve their full potential and have a safe environment.
Second career choice is Stand up Comedian because I’ve been known to be a funny guy and I was a class clown. Number one career is movie and tv production because i want to explore new possibilities with my ideas and make everybody feel happy when they feel down. Especially in this new day and age when people can get made fun of for being different just like I was. My first idea is to create a cartoon that with each episode, teaches an important lesson like accepting new people, embracing new cultures, and being kind to those less fortunate than you.
It’s always important to love everyone and keep rocking at the beat of your own drum. Growing up, I’ve noticed people being bullied for being different and things such as liking different things, being foreign, or having a disability. I want to create a show that teaches everyone that it’s ok to be different and to not listen to those who think otherwise. I was a very big fan of the show Steven Universe and how diverse the show was and how it brought up topics like past trauma, the consequences of war, and showed characters of different genders.
Diversity is very important in today’s world. I want to make everybody feel welcome and invited. The world can be a very dark and scary place for some. I feel like I can change viewpoints with my ideas. But first, I’ve got a lot to learn about how to make movies, tv shows, and cartoons.
Follow my journey on Facebook, my Facebook Fan Page, & Instagram!
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.
