Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin Bowerman-Sullivan.
Austin, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born on July 10th, 2003, and am now 17 years old. Because I was diagnosed with autism, I attended a special program in pre-k and was placed in a separate class for kids with learning differences from kindergarten until second grade. In the second grade, I was fully mainstreamed in general education classes. I had my share of teachers and peers who did not understand me or were annoyed with me but in the fifth grade, I was elected Treasurer of my elementary school, which was very unusual for a student on the autism spectrum. Also, during that year, my mom was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. Going through her treatment was very difficult for me but I became so much more independent and learned so much about my resilience and my ability to get through tough times during that year. In 6th grade, I began my homeschooling journey.
As a homeschooler, I was able to learn at my own pace and explore many of my interests and passions. I was working towards my Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, which took up a lot of my time and I became an avid reader. My mom, who is a therapist, and her therapist friend started a social homeschool by the end of my 6th-grade year. This was a place where homeschoolers could go to take enrichment classes and hang out with friends. In the 10th grade, I took an entry exam for dual enrollment at Broward College, where I have continued to take classes towards both my high school graduation and earning credits towards a bachelor’s degree. This Fall, I’m enrolled in Calculus II, Psychology, and Honors Government. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, my classes are online. I’ve enjoyed being on campus these past two years and this year will definitely feel different.
Throughout my life, I’ve been involved in a variety of activities from tennis, to Tae Kwon Do, skateboarding, scuba diving, swimming, and speech and debate competitions. Every time I expressed an interest in something, my mom signed me up to explore it. While I’ve enjoyed all of them, I believe I have what is called an unusual set of talents. My mom likes to refer to me as “well-rounded.” I currently play guitar and bass on a technical level, and with a band, The Coral Spring All-Stars. I have been performing with them at the Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton about three times a year since I was 14 years old. In addition, I am in another band called The Boyz, where I play lead and rhythm guitar. In fact, we recently had our first gig and made over $500. I love performing for audiences and cannot wait to do it again once the pandemic subsides.
In 2018, I completed both a rigorous yoga teacher training and an advanced yoga teacher training with The Yoga Joint in Fort Lauderdale. I was the youngest in the group and am perhaps the youngest yoga teacher in our area. I’m very proud of that and I teach at my mom’s learning center for neurodivergent students and/or I play the guitar as background music while she teaches the teens’ classes. It is a cool experience to teach yoga but, even more, I love playing the guitar for the classes. We also taught a yoga class to my former elementary school’s (Wilton Manors Elementary) kids who are in the special education program, along with their neurotypical buddies. There were about 100 people that took yoga with us that day. It was fun seeing them get excited and enjoy the class. We’ve also taught yoga for the American Lung Association’s Stair Climb yearly fundraiser in Miami. I look forward to doing that again in the future.
Other accomplishments include earning a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do at age 12, where I was awarded Best Black Belt test out of over 40 participants. Physical activities used to be really hard for me, but I practiced the forms and trained every single day so that I’d do well at that test. The Black Belt test was rigorous and grueling and included a 2-mile run in less than 18 minutes, 100 push-ups, demonstrating all of the forms, sparring multiple partners, and more. It was one of my proudest accomplishments at that time. In middle school, I was introduced to chess and now play chess at a moderately respectable level, going so far as to beat two of my coaches as well as participating in a few local competitions. This past year, I joined a local 4H club in order to compete in archery at a local archery club. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, I haven’t yet completed but hope to do so this year. About five years ago, my mom created a teen mentorship program where older kids help mentor younger kids at her program.
I was one of the first to go through the training as a B.R.I.D.G.E (Brave, Reliable, Inclusive Doers who Guide by Example) Leader and I’ve continued to participate in this program every year since. I’m proud of the connections I’ve made with some of the participants in the camp. Sometimes, I’ve even considered being a therapist in the future. My mom and her team of employees and interns assist kids who have difficulty learning in a public or traditional setting, may have conditions such as autism and/or ADHD, or may just have difficulty learning in general. It is a fantastic school that can accommodate anyone who needs it, and everyone who has attended or worked there can agree. I credit the school for helping me open myself up, emotionally and socially, and be with a group I can safely call a family.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Oh boy, where do I begin? I was diagnosed with autism (Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified it was called at that time) at the age of three years old and it’s been a difficult road at times. My parents noticed I was not talking as much as others my age. My mom told me I also had a lot of sensory issues and was extremely hyperactive. She referred to me as “spirited.” She said I had a lot of challenges early on, which I do not remember. Autism affects everyone who has it differently. For me, it means I need more time to process verbal information when in social situations. I process the words people say but struggle to incorporate facial expressions, body language, tone of voice into the messages.
This is very exhausting because I have to pay more attention than neurotypicals at social communication. Sometimes I miss pertinent information and then I find myself worrying about what I missed and how awkward I feel. Interestingly enough, while I find I miss some social cues, I find I’m really intuitive and often know when something is ‘wrong’, such as when someone doesn’t like me or is uncomfortable or hurting in some way. I may not know why but I know it’s happening. When I was 14, I was diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), which adds even more anxiety and questioning. Both conditions cause me a high level and constant anxiety and are exhausting.
Because I struggle to read social cues, I constantly wonder about social situations: whether I said something wrong, read a facial expression and body cue correctly or incorrectly, and lots of self-doubt on what to say that is “right” in a conversation. I end up feeling compelled to ask the person if I did or said something “wrong,” and usually, that is not the case, but the anxiety and self-doubt are pervasive. Since I was little, I would resort to self-harm (picking my nails, for example) to relieve my anxiety, and it would sometimes end up with my nails bleeding for days. It’s a constant, daily, uphill battle mentally. It’s kind of like a trial that never ends, one side telling me that I’m being ridiculous as usual, the other (the OCD) telling me “What if, Maybe, Possibly…”
The Judge (me) can take from 30 seconds to days on end to decide the verdict, and with surmounting pressure from the OCD, gives up and sides with it, only to learn later that it was a false case like 95% of other cases. But the OCD has that much mental power that it can still successfully pressure, confuse, and overwhelm the judge, again and again, and again, on a daily basis. That’s been my experience for years now. Because of this, it is likely that any of my accomplishments are more difficult to achieve than others of my age. I may have more mental barriers to overcome in order to reach my goals. But it does not stop me. It only makes me that much more determined and I always persevere in all of my endeavors because I’m very goal-oriented.
How did you become the person you are today / what experiences / values / etc. shaped you and led you to the path you are on?
Perhaps unlike other people, I don’t have the stereotypical tragic backstory. I became who I am simply because I was surrounded by caring and generous people who were willing to go the extra mile to boost my growth. Primarily, my wonderful parents helped me through my journey to become who I am today. They were always kind to me while still keeping a healthy amount of “parental push” in them. Without them, I wouldn’t be as well-rounded or as successful as I am. I also practice several morals, such as showing kindness and sincerity to everyone, helping out when I can and always being honest. I really hate making someone uncomfortable, and when I do, I try my best to talk about it and make up for my mistake. Of course, I’m not perfect and there were times I got overly emotional. But after it settles, I try my absolute best to make up for it and make sure the other parties are ok, and that we can move on from this happily. However, sometimes this care for other peoples’ thoughts can turn into an unhealthy extreme, and that is where I get to the next question.
How do you, personally, define success? What’s your criteria, the markers you’re looking out for, etc?
Many people have probably read the accounts of others that success is not defined by fame, wealth, or popularity. That is true to an extent. While it does come from unrelenting, hard work, and also lots of perseverance through even the lowest of the low, many people who are successful have had at least a financial head start or may have already been well known. There even have been a few cases, such as the (unfortunate) Kardashians, where it simply sprung out of nowhere. Should we define our success based on the success of others? Of course not. Nor should we roll the dice and hope success will be knocking on our doorstep, the lucky winner of the lottery. Success is, ultimately, however, you want to define it. And you don’t have to be wildly popular like a Popstar or Tik-Tok superstar. Being able to pay off the rent with your small, local business can be a massive success on its own. A quality feast from a day’s worth of hunting could be an even greater story of success. At the end of the day, there are no real criteria for what is defined as “success” or being “successful.” It depends on the person’s environmental exposure, philosophy, family wealth, and educational background that one defines what success really is. What matters, however, is how you define success, and whether you’re willing to do the work to reach that milestone.
As for myself, my criteria and marker vary for each activity, because it depends on my experience with that activity. For example, something I’m experienced with might give me lower than usual (but still moderate) anxiety. Thus I set the bar for “success” lower. On the other hand, if I’m less experienced with activity, my anxiety will be significantly higher and therefore, I will feel much more successful because it was so much more challenging. It all depends on how I interpret the situation. As aforementioned, everyone has a different definition of what success is, and mine is no different. As one can tell, it varies rapidly while still maintaining a constant and very noticeable presence. In the end, though, it really does not matter as long as you, well, do it.
And if you’re ever feeling a sense of doubt, that’s normal. Just do something relaxing, like meditation, to regroup and get back into it. Everyone has a baseline of resilience in them, whether they know it or not. We all just need to reach it and harness it. Due to my differences, there were likely many accomplishments that were more difficult for me than for others, but I do not know anyone’s experience and I cannot compare mine to theirs. I’m extremely proud of my accomplishments thus far and I continue to aspire to achieve my goals. I do really well in my college classes and hope to attend MIT in the future. I’m not yet sure what I want to be when I grow up, but I know I’d like to find something that aligns with my passions of music, math, and science. I also hope that my story can inspire others who have struggled with neurological differences to find what they’re passionate about, continue to pursue their goals, and not let their challenges stop them.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 9542585436
- Email: a.bowermansullivan@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austin_b2003/
Image Credit:
Ziggy Laverde, Felipe Laverde, Alex Maceilwics, Nathanel Sivan, Austin Bowerman-Sullivan
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