Hello, friends!
I’m slowly getting to a place where I can start being more regular about these life update posts! I’m creating more media content again, and I’m happily involved in compiling research for my theses. I finished a quarter at Whatcom Community College with a 4.0 GPA and the title of Vice President of the Neurodiversity Club despite struggling a lot of the time. I’ve started a few new psychopharmaceuticals and have also been on testosterone for over a month now, so all in all, things are going pretty well aside from my self-care & executive functioning, but I’m working to improve these little by little as I can.
Living at the dorms has been interesting as a disabled 32 year old autistic enby. It’s both been great and challenging. The biggest issue is how steep the rent is. I get that they make money off of international students from wealthy families because they have to since we’ve had serious budget cuts from enrollment being down, but I still wish they’d consider how to better accommodate disadvantaged local students, too. I’m always brainstorming over new ways to advocate for minorities who are struggling because otherwise both I and others like me won’t be able to accomplish our academic goals. I will probably write a whole post about how difficult it is to be a neurominority in Academia, but for today’s post, I’m just checking in to let you all know about my current projects.
I think I mentioned in another recent post that a couple of projects I’m working on include a Supporting & Accommodating Neurominority Students training module for faculty & staff at the college, a write up on why I believe it’s important for the college to offer group therapy and neurosomatic modalities for trauma processing and daily life coping skills given the state of the sociocultural climate right now, and I was asked to participate in a Faculty Education Workshop to share my experience as an autistic student at the college. There’s a lot of really exciting stuff happening, and I just feel super honored that I’m finally at a place where I can be doing all of this work, even if it is still extremely exhausting for me as a chronically ill disabled person.
On a coursework level, over the summer, I decided to participate in two learning contracts while I do work study at the media center on campus. One of the classes is with the Horizon (WCC’s student led newsletter) team, which I’ve decided to join, and we’re creating a podcast to bring awareness and information regarding contemporary issues. It’s all very exciting to me to be back in media production. The second learning contract is with my supervisor at the media center so we can create video tutorials on how to use the equipment and software we have for students & faculty. It’s interesting because while I’ve decided to start focusing more on my neuropsychology research, I’m also getting pulled back into the media and art world, which I’m loving.
I’ll be doing my best to keep posting updates and samples of the work I’m doing as I can, but for now, I just wanted to touch base, let y’all know I’m thinking of you, and send my love. Hope you’re having a great summer, or whatever time of year it is where you are! Be well! Hare Krishna! ❤
Jax Bayne 