It was hard socializing with other children.

I wasn’t interested in typical playground activities that other kids enjoyed; I was fascinated with nature, bug watching, picking flowers and grass, and picture books.

Especially ones with Animals, the Captain Underpants series or the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.

I am diagnosed with high-functioning autism, also known as Asperger’s syndrome. Neurodivergence is connected with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or Asperger’s syndrome.

Growing up, I never was interested in novels, I only read books with pictures and images that showed me what was happening in the plot.

Math has been a school subject that I always struggled with. It was hard for me to remember certain mathematical formulas, advanced fractions or how the questions were worded.

I was able to pull through and pass my math classes with the help of my teachers and tutors.

In Spanish high school class, my tutor helped me with the questions and the translations of the Spanish phrases. So, I couldn’t do it without the help of people who were close to me.

It was also difficult to understand social cues from other people. I would ask them if they were okay or if they needed some personal space.

I often get incredibly distracted by either the environment around me or by zoning out. So, it was hard for me to pay attention in class during lectures or teachings.

I was able to focus by reminding myself to direct my focus on the teacher.

In order to keep track and remember my class times, I have a printed schedule that is attached to a school binder. This helps me display the locations of my classes and shows me their opening times and closing times.

But being neurodivergent benefited me with positive aspects throughout my journey.

This includes a refined memory for certain subjects that I am interested in like video games or entertainment.

It allowed me to think outside the box by solving problems.

When Canvas on a school computer couldn’t open when I was working, I logged into my Outlook email account and shared the project to myself. Then I opened my personal computer and opened Outlook to submit my Canvas work.

So, even though I had to face some challenges, I have learned to overcome them.

Being in journalism is a good environment to put my skills to effective use. I enjoy socially interacting with others that have the same interests as me.

Conducting interviews is a bit of a challenge for me. I miss some steps for doing a successful interview such as forgetting to record.

But I learn from those mistakes. I do feel impatient when doing interviews because even though I enjoy talking to people, I feel urgency to get it done quickly to focus on the next task.

I always like writing my articles since it allows me to cultivate my ideas, sharpen my writing skills and add these experiences to my resume.

But most importantly, The Rampage is a place where I can be myself.