A Valued Leader In An Autistics World

My leadership has been exceptionally valued. No doubt about that. I volunteer quite a bit and have since around the time my college experience began and I have worked on more projects than my fingers and toes doubled in college and close to that many in volunteer capacities. But, more importantly, it's how I've done it: 1) with integrity 2) with compassion 3) touching lives and 4) having autism and still making a huge difference. Some of the best experiences I could talk for countless hours on: Spring Break Alternative Jamaica, Bear Trap Ranch, Leadershape In Challis, Idaho, working as an Intern for Volunteer Services Board, being on Search Committees, being a Physical Education Helper, being a mentor, and working on rallies rank at the top of my list. However, there are some things that are not thought of as quite as high-profile that I've helped out with quite a lot- some of them include doing various things in activism, in the realms of the work for people who are have differing abilities, and all my various Service Saturday experiences, just to name a few. I've loved every minute of my experiences and I've done a lot, autistic or not. The autism is a large reason why this has happened: I've gotten a huge amount of experiences in spite of it, and for some reasons, because of it. I have worked tirelessly for many hours for many different experiences (sometimes literally, as activism work can be draining and I've lost sleep due to bad outcomes, stress, or overindulging on caffeine or gluten). Some of the biggest experiences in my life are from volunteering and I've been experiencing plenty of changed attitudes in the world of volunteering, many of which can be vindicated in how the town of Boise and some other places outside of it are changing their minds about these tough issues. One of the biggest things I've learned through leadership is that integrity matters and that I can overcome anything with the help of a good support system and a love for all people and a love for God. Does this come from my autism? I like to think that some of it does and I like to think that having compassion for the world comes partially from having been shown very little in some instances in my life. Even if I never do another leadership item for the rest of my college career after this term (and that is obviously not going to be the case cause that's what I'm passionate about :)) I will have done my job as a college leader and a very unconventional college leader at that and will have done my all. Stay tuned for my next topic: insights into why I do the hobbies I do.