Growing up as a neurotypical young woman, I saw advancing in society as something well within my grasp, as the implicit rules that govern our social actions and the overall ethos that we engage with all made sense to me. However, at a young age, I was exposed to many friends and fellow classmates who were neurodivergent – people my age with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other behavioral health conditions.
I frequently found myself trying to help these children in school and getting along with them, whereas most other kids shied away. To me, our differences made us stronger, and I learned an enormous amount from my neuroatypical friends.
Having a strong passion for community service, and as I grew older, I took advantage of number of opportunities to expand my stewardship. As a volunteer at AttachAvi Autism Foundation, I worked with a large group of neurodivergent students. My job was to make them feel included, inspire their creativity, facilitate their social growth, and empower them. I created a fashion and talent show, where all the participants could display a talent in front of a large enthusiastic audience. During the creation of the show, I saw that children on autism spectrum learn in different ways as each child on the autism spectrum is different. I had to use specific individual techniques in order for the students to understand everything and make the show run smoothly.