Alyssa Overcomes Challenges, Champions Self-Empowerment

LOS GATOS, CA — Patch has launched an initiative to help recognize Star Students, and we’re working to tell the stories of these outstanding kids to their neighbors.

This submission comes from Lani Harr who nominated Alyssa, a 12th grade student from Los Gatos.

Star local student’s name

Alyssa

Star local student’s home state

California

How do you know the star local student?

She is my daughter

Why do you believe the star local student should be recognized?

My daughter Alyssa was diagnosed on the Autism spectrum and with "other health impairments" at age 5. She has had an IEP since beginning 1st grade. She has attended her district public school, a non-public school, an out-of-district public school in a neighboring city with a robust special education program and a national for-profit high school with individualized instruction, all to try to find the right educational model that would afford her the ability to access the concepts necessary to learn and graduate. She WILL be graduating from high school this June with a Diploma! This is a child who a renowned adolescent psychiatrist told us we should send away to residential boarding school as she would never graduate or be able to function in society; he was WRONG! She has self-published two volumes of poetry about her experience as an autistic/neurodiverse teen. She has spoken to a sales team at a Silicon Valley Company (Gartner) to share tips with them about connecting with less social/interactive people in their business strategies. She was invited to deliver the introductory remarks to the keynote address for a statewide educational conference through the Santa Clara County Office of Education and hosted an hour-long breakout session, sharing advice to adult educators for incorporating strategies to better engage neurodiverse students in general education classrooms. Her poems about autism and self-empowerment come alive when she delivers them verbally. https://www.tiktok.com/@alyssa... https://www.tiktok.com/@alyssa... She seeks to empower other teens on the autism spectrum or with other neurodiversity conditions to respect themselves and continue to strive to disprove those who say that they cannot achieve and should give up. The best news? Alyssa will be heading to COLLEGE in the fall! We could not be more proud and impressed by all that she continues to attempt and achieve. Thank you for your consideration.

What's one thing you want everyone to know about the star local student?

Being a neurodiverse person who finds it difficult if not impossible to engage in simple social interactions that come naturally to many is incredibly isolating, and makes navigating adolescence and school very difficult. Alyssa hopes that other neurodiverse teens and young adults will find inspiration and hope in her poetry.

Congratulations on your achievements, and best wishes in your future endeavors, Alyssa!

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Know an outstanding student? Nominate them here.