Charlotte F.

Photography by Carter Fennen, Chapter Photographer

 If you’re reading this, your obstacles are just another reason to persevere.

Being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder when I was 3 has definitely given me tons of obstacles my whole life. From learning differently from most people, to struggling socially, to getting bullied my whole life, I started dealing with the fear and confusion of life at a young age.
A moment that has especially impacted me was my first couple weeks of freshman year of high school. I was really struggling in school and people were going around saying really messed up stuff about me. It got to the point where I did not see any point of being around anymore because of the scary threats I would get.

After all of this happened, my parents pulled me out of school, and I went to a school with other students that got bullied at their old schools. I realized that just because some people didn't like me, it doesn’t mean that I can’t try to prove that “their words don’t define me.” So I managed to get A’s and B's all through high school, explored options of my future, and I am now in college because I didn’t give up.

This is your sign that whatever obstacles you face, whatever challenges you encounter, you are better than them, and they do not define you. There are going to be tough days (trust me, I still have them) but I will believe in you when it feels like no one else does :)

Charlotte F., West Chester University

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