By Yamila Garcia
My name is Yamila, and I am an Argentinian adult going for a second degree – one that I have dreamed of my whole life. I came to live in the US three years ago and started taking English classes in a community college. When it was time to choose a major, I did not even have to think about it. It would be computer science. I worked in finance before coming here, but I was always taking short programming courses as a hobby. That is what I had always wanted to do.
Since I was a little girl, I have been obsessed with numbers and logic. I was totally in love with math but deeply despised formulas because I did not want anyone to tell me how to solve something without explaining where that formula came from and how it works. I love making calculations in my mind, pushing myself to remember and repeat very long numbers, finding patterns or relationships between random things, deducing and reasoning about anything. I know that may sound boring, but numbers made everything easier for me. I could play with them in my mind without the need to interact with other people, which was such a relief, being extremely shy.
I have experienced anxiety for as long as I can remember. When I was a teenager, I could not even put words together when I was in front of unknown people. I always felt I was different, but I was not about to let that stop me. The social exposure made me extremely anxious, which is why I signed up for as many extracurricular activities at my school as I could. I participated in a missionary group, research groups of any subject, choir, and sports. I hated it, and countless times I asked myself what I was doing there, but it was the best decision I could have ever made. At the end of high school, I was coordinating the missionary group and was able to give a speech in front of the entire school. Despite having plenty of experience, it never got easier; I kept doing so many awkward things.
Changes were never easy for me, but moving to the US was the biggest challenge I ever had to face. That brought me back a lot of things that I thought I had already overcome. I hated the social exposure, the changes, everything being new, and the lack of routine. My sensory tolerance reached its limit. I asked for help and got tested. That test resulted in a diagnosis of autism. It confirmed to me, at the age of 30, that I am neurodivergent. Everything made sense from that moment on.
As I continue to learn about myself and what my diagnosis entails, it is my intention to contribute to this blog with the sole objective of sharing the academic path from the perspective of a neurodivergent person. Communicating can be one of the greatest challenges for neurodivergent people, and at the same time the greatest tool for inclusion to be possible. The richness of diversity can only be harnessed if we all can express to others who we are, how we think and what we feel.