My name is Candi Brooks, and I have high-functioning autism. I'm currently a college student majoring in Physics and Astronomy. All my life I've been misunderstood and considered "odd". Anyone who knows me even a little bit, knows that I'm nerdy, and most of the time downright eccentric. When I'm asked the question, "How are you?", I like to come up with a new response each time...two of my favorites are, "I'm Astonishingly glorious", and "I'm standing in the eye of the storm". Sometimes when I'm bored during a class lecture, I will pass the time by tallying how many times the professor says "um", or counting the number of people with blue shirts. The other day I was in Target and I walked past a person looking at a box of crayons, so I walked over and said, "The distinctive smell that you experience upon opening a box of crayons comes from stearic acid--which is the formal name for processed beef fat." Although some of these things are considered "inappropriate", these are the things that make me, ME. I'm writing this story, because I want people with and without autism to understand that it's okay to be yourself, and it's okay to be different. Don't try to impress others, just be REAL. I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes, "I am in competition with no one. I run my own race. I have no desire to play the game of being better than anyone, in any way, shape, or form. I just aim to improve, to be better than I was before. That's me and I'm free."

Candi Brooks
Pittsburgh, PA