The most embarrassing day of my life was last semester when my college professor had to help me walk out of the classroom and call my mom to pick me up. "It wasn't anything serious" I insisted, but when another student was asked to help prop me up I wanted to disappear. As I was dragged through the halls I tried to think of what triggered my body to do this. Was it a new medication? The weather? Had I caught another virus? I made sure to thank that professor, I even bought him some nice cheese as a gesture, but it highlighted how my chronic illness can affect me in a myriad of unpredictable ways. That morning I went to campus feeling great and by the end of the day I was shivering and throwing up. It's not just about getting sick all the time, it's about never being able to trust my body. I live my life never knowing when it will break down in public. Never able to truly know if a supplement, or the weather, or something I caught while I was in line at Walgreens has caused my new life-altering symptom. Surprisingly I don't think my diseases limit me. Instead, I find a lot of pride in pushing myself and doing more than anyone thought I'd be able to do. In high school when it looked like I may have to drop out because they simply couldn't accommodate my needs I found an online school to go to. At that high school, I finished on time, became the student council president (after creating the student council) and went on to create many more programs for the school. One in particular that I'm proud of was the peer support club that I created with my school counselor. She trained us on how to appropriately handle conflict and be supportive of students who need it. I was proud because I made something with my own two hands, something I proposed and workshopped and trained to do, that I knew would help students like me down the road. Entering college has been so important to me. I've had two relapses and I recently got long covid but I absolutely refuse to not finish school. It's been difficult because I can't work and attend school at the same time. But having this chronic illness for so long has taught me that my determination can get me anywhere. It's not just willpower, it's the power to find solutions. Now I'm close to finishing my associate's degree with a 4.0 GPA and I'm looking at a bachelor's in the future. Now, I want to make change. While I worked on a suicide hotline it stuck out to me how many callers were disabled. Having an autoimmune disease during covid means I deal with my own isolation. Social media can be a great way to meet others but ultimately I think there's no replacement for human interaction. That's why I'm trying to start a club at my school focused on disability advocacy. Isolation shouldn't just be par for the course, it's also about how our systems are set up to disadvantage certain students from participating fully. Whether it's lack of access to campus because of how facilities are set up to being exposed to discrimination from fellow students. I don't discount the effect that being ill has on isolation, just that the systems in place contribute to that. And a club is a great way to include disabled students in a social and meaningful effort.

Show me a reality competition show and I can tell you who will win in the first few minutes. Let me explain. I've always grown up feeling like an alien. At the time, this was because I didn't know I was autistic. I'm outgoing, friendly, smart, patient, and a girl. In many ways I didn't fit the script for an autism diagnosis. My mom just thought I was just a little too sensitive and fidgety. And a trait I still possess to this day is that I can pick up quite accurately the emotions that someone is feeling, an autistic trait. While it has its drawbacks it did make me a pro at watching reality competition shows. You see, the interviews they do with each competitor are usually done after the episode. That means that before the winner has been decided in the episode the individuals being interviewed technically already experienced the ending. Most of them are great at holding a poker face or acting like the ending hasn't been decided yet so that viewers won't know how the episode ends. But I know. My unique talent of innately sensing how someone feels tells me this immediately. So, for years now my mom and I will sit down to one of Gordon Ramsey's competition shows and I will correctly rattle off who will win and who will lose that episode at the beginning. So far, I'm right 9 out of 10 times. This also came in handy when I worked on a suicide hotline for the recent 988 number. As a peer support specialist, I found my unique empathy both a burden and an asset. I could clearly and honestly empathize with the people who called. More than once this resulted in us having a sincere and honest cry together. The reasons why someone felt the way they did was rarely that important in this role, it was more of an outlet and a safe space where their feelings could be heard and validated. And there is no one better for that job than me. My time in that job was cut short by a severe case of covid but I am always finding ways to use my disabilities to my and others' advantage. Right now I volunteer at my local animal shelter, Dumb Friends League, and I greatly enjoy helping cats recuperate and become adoptable. My empathy helps me understand the animals I'm working with. I can readily take on difficult cats and I've been described by others as having endless patience with animals. Recently, I was able to adopt one of the cats I had been working with because, after a year in the shelter, nobody wanted to adopt her. She had a disability of her own and behavioral problems that will probably be with her forever. But I stopped them from putting her down and adopted her because I could feel how scared and alone she was. Now some of her more severe behavioral problems have gone away, and I can feel how happy she is. Now, I want to take a bigger role being a disability advocate. In my community, I'm trying to be an example of how autism can get missed, especially in girls, so that others are educated. Many metrics that are used for diagnosis only apply to boys and that leaves girls without the help they need in school and at home. I'm getting my degree in sociology so I can better understand society and how to improve the systems around me. Thank you for your consideration.