I am a person who has traveled through
many countries dress sizes and
mentalities I can confidently say that
one size fits all is inaccurate I’ve
learned this lesson the hard way through
my own battle with anorexia and my
brother’s diagnosis with autism for the
last few years I’ve been travelling
within and while I still have a lot to
learn I can say that I’m passionate
about helping people understand each
other and D stigmatize mental health my
brother’s name is Mark and he is six
years older than me for as long as I can
remember we played together and got
along great I always knew that he was a
little bit different but I just assumed
that was his personality it wasn’t until
I was about seven years old and forced
to go shopping with my mom that
connected the dots turning into the
candy aisle I saw this kid who was
probably about 16 years old throwing a
temper tantrum in the middle of the
grocery store not only was he verbally
out of control but he was also hitting
his mother shots I turned to my mother
and asked her what’s wrong with him she
told me that boy had autism just like my
brother does that was a turning point in
my life because for the first time I
realized that not all kids with autism
are the same that the way their minds
think they think differently and I just
realized I labeled that kid in the
grocery store with autism as abnormal I
made that a bad thing
how do people label mark then after that
I looked at mark differently why does he
talk the way he does and act the way he
does after all I love him I never want
to see him like the boy in the candy
aisle mark was always so loud in the car
we’re having a heat wave tropical heat
wave he would sing over
over again I just wanted to play a game
when we were riding in the car but he
would it and frankly couldn’t focus on
that task
so I Ament to the color game where he
went amongst all the passengers in the
car and even all the colors that mark
knew it was almost instinctive that I
trained Freud Marx negative behavior
talking to himself into a positive of
interacting his face brightened up as we
adjusting to my ich family life was good
until I reached age 10 and my family
felt anything but normal anymore
Steven Villa my father passed away
suddenly from a heart attack
although losing my father was completely
devastating it did force me to interact
with my brother on more than a play
basis I needed to help my mom take care
of him since I knew I was going to
spending a lot more time with Mark I
decided to try and see life through his
eyes to better understand him and how he
thinks my mother was working at an
organization that helped newly diagnosed
children with autism every once in a
while I would go volunteer with her I
was so intrigued by what was going on
that I started taking courses and
learning was how to deal with kids with
special needs and applied behavioral
analysis or ABA it was madness to me I
mean how do you teach kids that don’t
know how to make eye contact or even
listen to you they let me interact the
young kids with autism and after a while
actually hired me but really boosted my
passion for what I was doing after all I
was only 13 and practicing ABA therapy
but when I think about all that I’ve
learned the lessons that stood out the
most for me Ashley for my brother he
taught me to see life through his eyes
and with that insight it made me the
educator I am today when I was 14 I
heard loud noise comes from the kitchen
I ran downstairs and found my brother in
the middle of a convulsion on the floor
I left down and I pulled his 240-pound
body on his side
I put my hand under his head to protect
him from injury I look at the clock 4:58
I look at him I hum to stay calm look at
the clock please don’t be five minutes
look at him
look at the clock 5:03 i grab the
emergency medicine off the counter I
struggle to pull down his pants and
injected into us but his whole body
relaxes and he regains consciousness
again I did it
the adrenaline hit and I took care of my
brother in a terrible time I didn’t
hesitate like I did the first time when
I couldn’t even dial nine-one-one
because my hands wouldn’t stop shaking
no I knew what to do I had the strength
to take control of the situation and
handle my brother’s epilepsy when he
needed me most
that was the moment the moment that I
grew up all he knew to say was I fell
down his innocence strikes me how all
these events have happened in our life
and he still smiles so bright he is
undoubtedly the happiest person I know
three years later I had my own
experience with a mental health
diagnosis I developed anorexia and then
bulimia seeking help I found myself in
the office of a doctor who in less than
five minutes came up with the holy grail
solution of using a stress ball I
understand that people respond
differently to specific treatments but I
also understood myself and that a stress
ball was not my solution so my knee-jerk
reaction was to sink my nails into that
rubber ball and rip it in half to which
I did I fought this was a few choice
words before storming out of this office
you see standing at that man with a
clipboard
I thought wiser than him in that moment
by working with Marc and others I’ve
learned that support comes from being
understood and not my mental health
label
I was simply not going to be derailed
from the store from this course of
self-awareness and healing
I was on I did eventually end up in the
hospital and saw that the other patients
were getting better by traveling within
internally they challenged their
mentalities to find their full potential
just as I did what kids with special
needs help them find their full
potential it was inspiring being
hospitalized was the hardest thing I’ve
ever done and yet it gave me the
opportunity to see things from the
inside to understand what it’s like to
have a mental disorder and I use this
experience and new perspective to fix
myself and come out with an even
stronger passion for helping those who
simply did not fit in today I take mark
to the grocery store regularly holding a
pan as he sings and dances and hold on
to a seizure medication just in case yes
some people stare and others look down
they just don’t understand and that’s
okay although some are brave enough to
ask questions and I inform them that
Marcus autism before prompting him to
stay mark stay high he does this to show
that he isn’t scary autism is friendly
and as I encourage questions and spread
my understanding maybe they will too
today I’m a student at thanks to hunt
University what my psyche firmly set on
a career as a clinical psychologist
aspiring to create a safe haven an
environment were no person should feel
like an outcast or burden and where it’s
the norm to see things through the eyes
of others so we can explore the true
beauty of being different with education
and unification we can really travel
within I’ve only found my true self by
going through my obstacles and
experience my own mental illness
remember you should not fear abnormality
but be thrilled by the possibility of
madness behind it thank you [Applause]
many countries dress sizes and
mentalities I can confidently say that
one size fits all is inaccurate I’ve
learned this lesson the hard way through
my own battle with anorexia and my
brother’s diagnosis with autism for the
last few years I’ve been travelling
within and while I still have a lot to
learn I can say that I’m passionate
about helping people understand each
other and D stigmatize mental health my
brother’s name is Mark and he is six
years older than me for as long as I can
remember we played together and got
along great I always knew that he was a
little bit different but I just assumed
that was his personality it wasn’t until
I was about seven years old and forced
to go shopping with my mom that
connected the dots turning into the
candy aisle I saw this kid who was
probably about 16 years old throwing a
temper tantrum in the middle of the
grocery store not only was he verbally
out of control but he was also hitting
his mother shots I turned to my mother
and asked her what’s wrong with him she
told me that boy had autism just like my
brother does that was a turning point in
my life because for the first time I
realized that not all kids with autism
are the same that the way their minds
think they think differently and I just
realized I labeled that kid in the
grocery store with autism as abnormal I
made that a bad thing
how do people label mark then after that
I looked at mark differently why does he
talk the way he does and act the way he
does after all I love him I never want
to see him like the boy in the candy
aisle mark was always so loud in the car
we’re having a heat wave tropical heat
wave he would sing over
over again I just wanted to play a game
when we were riding in the car but he
would it and frankly couldn’t focus on
that task
so I Ament to the color game where he
went amongst all the passengers in the
car and even all the colors that mark
knew it was almost instinctive that I
trained Freud Marx negative behavior
talking to himself into a positive of
interacting his face brightened up as we
adjusting to my ich family life was good
until I reached age 10 and my family
felt anything but normal anymore
Steven Villa my father passed away
suddenly from a heart attack
although losing my father was completely
devastating it did force me to interact
with my brother on more than a play
basis I needed to help my mom take care
of him since I knew I was going to
spending a lot more time with Mark I
decided to try and see life through his
eyes to better understand him and how he
thinks my mother was working at an
organization that helped newly diagnosed
children with autism every once in a
while I would go volunteer with her I
was so intrigued by what was going on
that I started taking courses and
learning was how to deal with kids with
special needs and applied behavioral
analysis or ABA it was madness to me I
mean how do you teach kids that don’t
know how to make eye contact or even
listen to you they let me interact the
young kids with autism and after a while
actually hired me but really boosted my
passion for what I was doing after all I
was only 13 and practicing ABA therapy
but when I think about all that I’ve
learned the lessons that stood out the
most for me Ashley for my brother he
taught me to see life through his eyes
and with that insight it made me the
educator I am today when I was 14 I
heard loud noise comes from the kitchen
I ran downstairs and found my brother in
the middle of a convulsion on the floor
I left down and I pulled his 240-pound
body on his side
I put my hand under his head to protect
him from injury I look at the clock 4:58
I look at him I hum to stay calm look at
the clock please don’t be five minutes
look at him
look at the clock 5:03 i grab the
emergency medicine off the counter I
struggle to pull down his pants and
injected into us but his whole body
relaxes and he regains consciousness
again I did it
the adrenaline hit and I took care of my
brother in a terrible time I didn’t
hesitate like I did the first time when
I couldn’t even dial nine-one-one
because my hands wouldn’t stop shaking
no I knew what to do I had the strength
to take control of the situation and
handle my brother’s epilepsy when he
needed me most
that was the moment the moment that I
grew up all he knew to say was I fell
down his innocence strikes me how all
these events have happened in our life
and he still smiles so bright he is
undoubtedly the happiest person I know
three years later I had my own
experience with a mental health
diagnosis I developed anorexia and then
bulimia seeking help I found myself in
the office of a doctor who in less than
five minutes came up with the holy grail
solution of using a stress ball I
understand that people respond
differently to specific treatments but I
also understood myself and that a stress
ball was not my solution so my knee-jerk
reaction was to sink my nails into that
rubber ball and rip it in half to which
I did I fought this was a few choice
words before storming out of this office
you see standing at that man with a
clipboard
I thought wiser than him in that moment
by working with Marc and others I’ve
learned that support comes from being
understood and not my mental health
label
I was simply not going to be derailed
from the store from this course of
self-awareness and healing
I was on I did eventually end up in the
hospital and saw that the other patients
were getting better by traveling within
internally they challenged their
mentalities to find their full potential
just as I did what kids with special
needs help them find their full
potential it was inspiring being
hospitalized was the hardest thing I’ve
ever done and yet it gave me the
opportunity to see things from the
inside to understand what it’s like to
have a mental disorder and I use this
experience and new perspective to fix
myself and come out with an even
stronger passion for helping those who
simply did not fit in today I take mark
to the grocery store regularly holding a
pan as he sings and dances and hold on
to a seizure medication just in case yes
some people stare and others look down
they just don’t understand and that’s
okay although some are brave enough to
ask questions and I inform them that
Marcus autism before prompting him to
stay mark stay high he does this to show
that he isn’t scary autism is friendly
and as I encourage questions and spread
my understanding maybe they will too
today I’m a student at thanks to hunt
University what my psyche firmly set on
a career as a clinical psychologist
aspiring to create a safe haven an
environment were no person should feel
like an outcast or burden and where it’s
the norm to see things through the eyes
of others so we can explore the true
beauty of being different with education
and unification we can really travel
within I’ve only found my true self by
going through my obstacles and
experience my own mental illness
remember you should not fear abnormality
but be thrilled by the possibility of
madness behind it thank you [Applause]
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