Get to Know Kristen
HERE IS WHAT KRISTEN HAD TO SAY:
Me: “What is your favorite thing about being at McCall’s?”
Kristen: “Getting to know new people.”
Me: “Why do you like getting to know new people?”
Kristen: “I like the conversations. I didn’t really get a chance to do that before because I was homeschooled.”
Me: “Tell me about some of your goals. You’re really smart and motivated. I bet you have some pretty big things you want to accomplish.” (THIS WOMAN HAS SOME HUGE GOALS, guys)
Kristen: “I want to be president someday and an aerospace engineer.”
Me: “Why do you want to be president?”
Kristen: “There are just so many things I want to change, and I want to be able to help my family. I want prisoners to be able to learn a skill so they can work. I feel like a lot of them are in there because they don’t have jobs, or goals, and I want to help them with that and help them improve their lives. “
Me: “Why do you want to be an aerospace engineer?”
Kristen: “I really like math and science. I don’t know much about science, but I love learning. I want to learn about everything. I also want to make a lot of money, and be a motivational speaker. “
Me: Why do you want to make a lot of money?
Kristen: “I want to be able to support myself. I don’t want to just get by on my “disability”. I want to be independent. I want to be able to move beyond my disability. “
Me: “Do you like making new friends? If someone wants to be your friend, what do you want them to do?”
Kristen: “Yes, I do. If you want to make a friend, you have to be a friend first so I would like for them to be friendly.”
Me: “What has been the biggest challenge for you during the pandemic?”
Kristen: “I haven’t really struggled that much. I’ve just been trying to live life in the moment! I have been having trouble sleeping. I sleep about two hours a night, and then I’m ready to go!”
Me: “What is something you want people to know about you?”
Kristen: “I want them to know that I’m honest, kind, straightforward, and smart.
Me: “Why are those things important to you?”
Kristen: “I think that character is a reflection of who you are and what you are going to do. I want people to know the kind of person I am when they meet me.”
Me: “What is your favorite thing to do for fun?”
Kristen: “Math, I love numbers! I could do it all day. I also like solving puzzles and codes.”
Me: “Who is your best friend on campus?”
Kristen: “My fiancé, Jessica and my friend Sherry!”
Me: “And what are your favorite things about them?”
Kristen: “I like Sherry because she is always willing to learn. Jessica is always keeping things interesting. She keeps my life from being boring.”
Me: “What is your favorite food?”
Kristen: “Fruits and veggies, I could eat them all the time. For the rest of my life.”
Me: “When you found out you were autistic, what was that like for you?”
Kristen: “I was misdiagnosed initially, and my previous diagnosis was hard to accept. But when I was diagnosed with autism, it felt like a relief.”
Me: “What are some things that you find challenging because of your autism diagnosis?”
Kristen: “I don’t really get emotions…like sadness, things like that. I really wish I could understand it more. Especially sadness. I don’t get sad very often, so when other people are sad, I don’t know what to do. I wish I could help them, but it’s hard because I don’t understand what they’re feeling.”
Me: “Is there an emotion you feel really strongly or very often?”
Kristen: “I usually just feel normal. I’m not too happy or too sad or anything, just normal. If I sit still for too long, I just fall asleep randomly. So I stay pretty busy. I’ve been dieting lately, eating healthier food, and now I have more energy. I just feel better, and I’m losing weight like I’ve been wanting. I’m really excited. I’m also learning a new word of the day every day and trying to use it! Today I learned astute!”
Me: “You said you want to do more things around campus. What are some things you want to do here at McCall’s?
Kristen: “I really want to start a newspaper and a blog about my friends here, but I don’t really know how to set one up. On my blog, I want to talk about my life like how I’m doing with college, my GED, becoming president, stuff like that! For my newspaper, I want to have things that get the other residents involved. Like birthday announcements, puzzles, word of the month, have them vote on their favorite song of the month stuff like that.”
Me: “I know you’re working toward some pretty big goals right now, but what did you like doing before?”
Kristen: “I used to want to be an inventor, but I didn’t really have the resources to do it growing up. I love tools and making things, but because I have absent seizures, I haven’t really had access to them.”
Me: “Oh wow. What are absent seizures? Is that something that scares you?”
Kristen: “Uhm. What happens is I’ll be doing something, and then I just go blank for a little bit. They don’t scare me because I don’t really have any recollection of them.”
Kristen: “Can I say something?”
Me: “Of course! This is your space, and you can say what you’re most comfortable with.”
Kristen: “I used to get called a know-it-all when I was being smart, but I’m not trying to be one. I’m just trying to answer the question or talk about what I’m interested in. I’ve gotten better at it, but I still catch myself doing it sometimes.”
Me: “I’m really sorry people made you feel that way. I haven’t had that impression of you at all. You just seem knowledgeable. I’ve really enjoyed getting to talk to you, and I can tell you’re just incredibly dedicated to your education. I admire your drive, and I want you to be proud of how smart you are!”
Me: “Is there anything else you would like to share about your goals or about yourself?”
Kristen: “I really want to be able to help McCall’s with raising money. They do so much for us, I would really like to be able to do something for them, and I’m good at figuring out the money side of things so I think I would be good at that. I have all kinds of fundraising ideas, but I’ll have to wait until we open back up. It’s stuff like hosting dinner and a movie, making things to sell, and I’m excited to help out! Can I show you my speech that I wrote?”
Me: “Of course! I’d love to hear it, and I think our followers would to!”