Ok so here is the situation,
I graduated with a bachelors of arts degree in history on April 27, 2013. The social and economic shifts in the country ensured that I would take the high hard one right up the poop chute. But hey I knew that by my 4th year at U.C. (University of Cincinnati). So there I was a guy who had finally got diagnosed at 26 with Asperger Syndrome in 2006. I immediately threw myself back into the real world by getting on SSDI and other welfare benefits that would help me find a job. From 2008 until 2013 I spent those years at Kroger climbing up the ladder somewhat at the store level and taking part time classes to finish up the academic tragedy that had been my bachelors degree at Ohio State University. While at U.C. I qualified for a lot of extra help from the Disability Services Office. It was there that I met the greatest mentor of my life, the Accommodation Coordinator. I still keep a good relationship with him to this day.
While at the University of Cincinnati, if I was not at work or at work throwing product on a shelf I had my nose in the books, paperback an electronic. Developed much better eating habits, got on a better sleep schedule. Started investing in a nicer wardrobe. I took the money that I had made twisting balloon sculptures at Newport on the Levee combined with 5 years of tax returns I managed to invest it in a Fidelity Mutual Fund and a car.
Now it is 2015 and I am 35 years old. I graduated with a higher GPA in college than what I did in high school. According to my academic coordinator if I would have been diagnosed and been under his tutelage sooner I would've graduated with a 3.3 or 3.4 easy. My graduating in high school was 2.5. My GPA when I graduated from University of Cincinnati was 2.874 and that is including math and science courses. I managed to gain experience working in four different sections of a grocery store successfully. The car is junked, the mutual fund is still gaining, I have a job that allows me to pay my rent, thanks to President Obama I can pay off my student loans at a rate I can afford. I can also pay my utility bills and I have enough money to give me a little something to spend at the bar and on top of that I put $20.00 a week in my savings account, I belong to a gym where I am swimming 3x a week for 1.5 hours and am getting back into shape and I have begun the journey towards a position in the Department of Immigration. On Mondays and Wednesdays I dress business casual and I actually get to wear a name badge that I have to wave in front of the security lock on the elevator which allows me to go up to the second floor where I work in an office............ where I am volunteering to gain experience. I guess all in all I did ok considering that I went undiagnosed for 26 years.
But you know.....the thing that I miss the most........are the people in college. Don't get me wrong I have no desire to return to being a full time college student. But its just.....the young idealists who work hard and party just as hard. The intermural an activity clubs. There was this outdoor activity club called UCMC. University of Cincinnati Mountaineering Club. All of the people in that club were bright eyed, full of life, happy, healthy, well educated, idealistic, interesting, not to mention all of the women were drop dead gorgeous. Those are the kinds of people that I want to be friends with those are the kinds of people I want to "roll with" so to speak.
But when I returned to the. I will continue this later.
22 Mar 2015, 8:37 pm
