Courtesy Lifetouch

To be able to say I am graduating and going to college soon is, honestly, a dream that I dared to dream, but not one I thought was obtainable, due to being on the Autism spectrum, as well as having multiple learning disabilities. Because of this, from both a social as well as an academic standpoint, I can now say that high school was one of the hardest parts of my life. 

But, as I sit here reminiscing about how I was a whole different person at the start of high school, I can proudly say that because of these challenges, I developed new skills and fostered new passions. The best example I can give is that because I felt underrepresented being on the Autism spectrum, I decided to make a change through writing and activism. I started Walter Johnson’s first Neurodiverse Student Union, chatting about different behaviors as well as the proper way to approach and converse with a neurodivergent person. 

I took the Pitch prerequisite course (J1) during sophomore year, and it was the best decision I could have ever made. Learning to write articles and tell stories helped me find my voice. My uncle, my biggest journalistic inspiration, has gone to war zones and countries in times of political instability, on top of telling stories of injustice in our own country. His work has taught me the power of writing, that the stories he tells are important to bring to the forefront of our society. So, taking this into mind, my final article of J1 was a story about someone I had a lot in common with. 

His name is Julian Bradford, a former LFI student I had the privilege of performing with in WJ STAGE’s production of Les Misérables, where he played the main role of Jean Valjean. Though the show had a lot of positive reception, I strongly believed that an LFI student like Julian, who had to work extremely hard to even memorize lines and blocking, deserved to have his story told. And I wrote it. I talked to him and his mother about the incredible effort he put into learning the songs, blocking and lines within the show. Julian’s mom told me that because of singing, he learned how to speak and function. 

What I made sure to emphasize in that article wasn’t that he needed extra support, or that it was harder for him, but I wanted to make it clear that though he didn’t receive a diploma, he is currently furthering his education at Montgomery College, working hard in MC’s Music Program to receive a music certificate.  

Telling Julian’s story was the turning point for my budding journalism career. This, my first article, was published in The Pitch and won me a Best of SNO journalism award. To me, this award cemented my love and interest in pursuing a career in journalism. Like Julian’s story, I hope my education fosters a passion for telling stories that need to be told.