If you follow Miabug’s Army on Facebook, then you probably already saw this. But if not, I believe it’s worth sharing again. Mia is my middle daughter. She is on the autism spectrum, having been diagnosed at age 3. At that time, she was non-verbal. For her senior English class, she had to write a personal statement. She sent it to me to edit. I was blown away by what I read and feel compelled to share it. (Mia is on the right in this picture. My youngest, Louisa, is on the left.)
Personal Statement by Amelia Miguez
The first thing I remember is walking down the halls of a hospital, asking if I could take an IV line off. Of course I couldn’t, but to my defense, I was only three years old when I had my Asthma attack. My home, born and raised in Oakmont, was nearly perfect; an older and a younger sister, both with their own personality. Louisa was, as my younger self said, an angel with horns. She was nice and was the cutest thing I knew, but she was troublesome and at times, and still has her problems to this day. Sophia- or rather, August, made their own path from the beginning, and gave their all into everything they did, not letting anything around them stand in their way.
My mom and dad protected me, my pets comforted me, and all seemed too easy. But it was soon broken apart as my mom and dad divorced. Though they came to terms with each other and soon went back to being friends, the hardest years of my life started not long after second grade. Elementary school was difficult, boys made fun of me and I saw things too differently to fit in. then High School came in and my stress began to rise. I don’t remember how or when, but at some point, I reached my breaking point. I remember crying and shouting, letting everyone know how much pain I was feeling.
I don’t know when or how, but things only got better from there. People finally understood me, understood how I saw things, and why I did what I do. I see things very different from others, and only a few people accept that. Family mostly, but even I hide my secrets from them. Mostly because I’m afraid to disappoint them or make them mad. But that’s where my best friends come in. Gracie, the girl I’ve known since I was a kid, has always tried her best to drive me in the right direction, all while we shared ideas and talents. Then there’s Ally; the one who brings out my darker side actually lets me examine my ideas out loud rather in the shadows. We give each other ideas, watch one another’s backs, and never hesitate to joke around. With my current situation, between my family, social, and school life, it makes me stressed just to think about it. That’s why I try my best to take the punches when they come; to avoid too much stress and, in turn, avoid causing any trouble.
If anyone asked me who or what I was, I’d probably have to gather my thoughts for a minute or two. With everything I do, I suppose I am a passionate yet mysterious artist with many interests. A writer, an artist, and at points, a singer. All of these things, added up, make me what I am today. Though that doesn’t mean I like to “flaunt my feathers” for everyone to see. I don’t stick my head out that much, in fear people would hate or make fun of who I am. Instead, I went online to share my talent, and happily became known for my writing and drawing talents. People compliment me on my attention to detail and expanded mind set, as well as become my friends. Though it’s not always easy.
My stories come along slowly, due to my tendency not to work on them that often mixed in with my schedule, but with the amount of stories I do work on, it only takes a matter of time until I get my inspiration back and continue writing. My art is created the same way; when I have no inspiration, things just stop. The blank page becomes my worst enemy. But once an idea hits, I just have to get my hands on a pencil and sketch book. Once I start, it’s like I can’t stop or my idea will disappear. Which is why I keep drawing until the basis of my idea is written down. After that, my focus can move somewhere else. Every time I get an idea, it adds to my character, makes me a bigger and better artist. I only hope I can keep creating, so that I can keep improving my ideas. Because when my ideas improve, I improve along with them.
Every teacher that has met me has liked me by the end of the school year. I don’t know how, they just do. I never know the reason, but I highly doubt its only one reason. Though if I had to name one, I suppose I would go with “passionate”. When there is something I care about, I give my all into it. And when I work on it, it is like there is nothing else around me that matters. Sometimes, I will admit, it seems I care too much about something, or I care about the wrong task at hand. When I become too passionate, I start to act a bit strange and begin to do things my own way. But that’s only because I want to be the best at what I do. And I will admit, I will sometimes catch myself doing the wrong thing at the wrong time, and when that happens, I do my absolute best to get back on track. But with passion comes determination, which I’ll admit, comes a little short in me when it comes to my education.
Whenever things get too stressful for me, my mind will shut down and crash like an old computer. When this happens, I need to gather my thoughts, calm down, and, if I’m lucky, have someone near me to help speed the process. So I ask any teachers who want to help me or teach me in the future, to please be patient and understanding. I know I am not perfect, and I know I have a lot to learn, but I want to have a great life ahead of me, and to have one, I need a great education. Not just good, great. School hasn’t just taught me math and literature, it’s taught me that no matter how hard things become, you need to keep moving forwards or nothing will get done. What can I say? I am a passionate worker.
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Yeah, my kid is pretty amazing.
