I attended Western New England University for two semesters before transferring to the University of Massachusetts. There, I wrote a column for the University’s student-run newspaper, The Westerner, about autism awareness and acceptance. I thought I’d continue my attempt to give a voice for the college-aged autistic community as a transfer to UMass.

Like I wrote in my first column, writing has always been an outlet for me to get out intensified feelings that I tend to keep to myself. While they often tend to be on the personal side, I feel as though some of my experiences are relatable and need to be said. I want to be candid about my experiences with my unique brain so others don’t feel so ashamed about their mental health or other life challenges.

Other neurotypical and non-autistic people should be more accepting of the autism spectrum, which is exactly what it is — a spectrum. That’s not to say one end of the spectrum is “more autistic” and the other is “less autistic.” No, the spectrum isn’t linear like that.

Since its release in 2013, the DSM-5 groups autism spectrum disorder as one big mental health diagnosis. There are several traits, or qualifications, to an autism diagnosis that can each be more or less pronounced depending on the person. However, every autistic person is different, just like anyone else.

For example, many autistic people, like myself, find comfort in a feeling of routine. Transferring to a new school and acclimating to my surroundings wasn’t an easy thing to do. Finding my place in a brand-new college environment when I already feel isolated made me feel even worse. However, I am happy to say that with the support of my family, my amazing boyfriend and the friends I’ve made along the way here at UMass, I’m doing a lot better.

To quote my old column from The Westerner two years ago, “Should we be spreading awareness of a disorder that has no cure, or should we, rather, try to be more accepting of the beautiful spectrum of autism that exists?” Personally, I think my autism diagnosis is something that I am ultimately proud of, hence the graphic for this column featuring the autism pride flag. Even if I was ashamed of it at first, where would I be today if I didn’t candidly put my anecdotal experiences out there for others to read and relate to?

Liv Cushman can be reached at [email protected].