This guest post is by Alex Byrne, a young man on the autism spectrum who aspires to seek out new tasks, projects, and assignments. Alex 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.
I would like to get a job that uses my skills and enables me to learn more about my interests. I enjoy working with animals and feel my volunteer job at the SnipWell veterinary clinic helped me to get skills in the veterinary area. I want to seek out new tasks, projects, and assignments. I want to add new skills to the ones I already have experienced. I want to get knowledge in the area of being a veterinary assistance or auto technician. I want to be able to build my resume to make me more marketable in the future. I want to be able to learn more about my interests by observation and by doing. I want this experience to help me better define my goals for employment in the future. I also want this experience to help me to prove to myself that, despite my autism, I can participate in the workforce as a productive worker.
I want to gain work experience that can be helpful in finding employment in the future. I want to network with professionals in my field of choice, so I can have possible employment contacts in the future. I want to be able to add qualifications to my resume with more relevant work experience. I want to experience a corporate culture so I can understand how to better behave in an environment outside of high school and my circle of friends. I want to better develop my time management skills and be able to work to deadlines to ensure customers are pleased and return for more. I want to learn more about a job before committing to it and use this experience to improve my confidence level beyond where it is currently. I also possibly could get a mentor for future employment opportunities and get feedback on my worksite performance.
Skills to Develop
• Veterinary Skills: Learn more about animal care, handling, and medical procedures through hands-on experience or courses.
• Communication Skills: Improve professional communication in both English and Spanish for customer service or teamwork.
• Technical Skills: Gain more experience with medical tools (for veterinary work) and digital tools (for event planning or research).
• Leadership & Organization: Build leadership by taking on more responsibility in volunteer or work settings
My greatest strength is my ability to stay organized and focused, even in high-pressure situations. This helps me finish tasks efficiently while maintaining high quality. I use lists and schedules to track everything. It helps me break tasks into smaller steps and stay on top of deadlines. I like clear instructions and written notes. It ensures everyone is on the same page, and I can refer back if needed. I do my best in calm, structured environments where expectations are clear. It helps me focus and deliver my best work. In the future, I want to:
• Connect with veterinarians or marine scientists for advice and career guidance.
• Improve time management and goal setting to balance work, study, and volunteering.
• Join online forums or local groups related to veterinary science or space/marine science.
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!
