This guest post is by Alex Schlosser, a young man on the autism spectrum who was accepted into Lenoir-Rhyne University. Alex 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.
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 diagnosed with autism at age 2 and ADHD at age 6. I was completely nonverbal from age 2 to 3 ½ and could only communicate using a combination of utterances and basic sign language or if my twin sister was able to somehow interpret what I was trying to tell people I wanted or needed. Doctors told my Mom I had an IQ of 60 and would never attend, let alone graduate, from public school. Having both Autism and ADHD made learning very challenging for me. Autism made it difficult for me to process information and learn things the way others typically do and ADHD made it difficult for me to focus and participate appropriately in the classroom. With hard work and the support and guidance of my family, teachers and therapists, I was able to not only attend public school but thrive and succeed there beyond what any of my doctors and therapists ever dreamed.
I discovered technology at an early age and used it to help me find alternative ways to learn and communicate. I watched Sesame Street videos over and over, memorizing letters, words, and numbers and that, combined with daily speech therapy, helped me finally find my voice and learn to speak and communicate. In 5th grade, I discovered video games and began watching online video tutorials which helped me learn how to become successful in the classroom when traditional learning and study methods didn’t work. I discovered I could memorize the curriculum the same way I memorized how to successfully complete or beat a level in the games I loved playing. Discovering this finally helped me unlock the key to academic learning for me. I began to excel in Science, Technology and Math; my grades started to improve, and for the first time, in 6th grade, I made A/B Honor Roll and became eligible to join the Beta Club. I also learned how to interact with others through watching these videos. Watching people teach me how to do something taught me how to more effectively communicate with others. I learned how to take my knowledge and abilities and share them with my friends and fellow students when they were struggling with something that I understood or was good at. I would like to continue to do this in college by helping tutor other students and help them be successful too.
Technology led me to a local Career & Arts Magnet high school which offered a Computer Programming academy and I have excelled there – rising to the top of my class and achieving certifications in Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel and Python Programming I. I helped charter our school’s chapter of the National Technical Honor Society and have served as Vice President for the past two years. My membership in NTHS and Beta Club have presented me with many opportunities to participate in various community service activities. I discovered that I enjoy helping others – especially those who struggle socially like me – and I look forward to continuing to serve my community while attending college.
While I am still trying to figure out exactly what job or career path will work best for me, I know that I want to further and build upon my education and passion for technology by pursuing Computer Science, Computer Programming, or Computer Engineering. I want to take the tools and skills that helped me learn and become successful in school and use them to help others who struggle the same way I did by developing new technologies to help people with disabilities. There are so many people who have difficulty learning in traditional ways or who struggle to overcome a challenge because of a disability and I want to assist them by making tools they can use to help them be successful.
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.
