For much of my life, perseverance has not meant moving forward without struggling. It has meant continuing to move forward even during the moments when I felt overwhelmed, uncertain, misunderstood, or unsure of where I belonged. Being neurodivergent and autistic has shaped the way I experience the world, from how I communicate and form relationships to how I process change, stress, expectations, and unfamiliar environments. There have been times when these differences have made certain parts of life more difficult, especially in environments that were not designed with people like me in mind. At the same time, being neurodivergent has also influenced my curiosity, determination, passions, and the unique way I see the world around me.

Growing up, I often felt that I had to work harder to navigate situations that seemed to come naturally to other people. There were social expectations I did not always understand, changes that felt overwhelming, and moments when I questioned whether I was progressing through life in the way I was supposed to. As I have gotten older, however, I have begun to realize that there is no single timeline or definition of success that everyone has to follow. My path has not always been straightforward, but every challenge, transition, disappointment, and accomplishment has contributed to the person I am becoming.

One of the most difficult parts of growing up neurodivergent has not always been autism itself, but the way other people have responded to me because of it. At different points in my life, I have felt undermined, underestimated, or treated as though other people knew what I was capable of better than I did. Sometimes people made assumptions about what I could handle, what decisions I could make for myself, or what my future might look like. When those messages are repeated enough, it can become difficult not to internalize them. There have been moments when I questioned my own abilities because other people had already questioned them for me.

Over time, I have started learning how to separate other people’s expectations of me from my own expectations for myself. I have realized that being autistic does not mean that I am incapable of independence, ambition, change, or taking risks. It may mean that I approach certain situations differently, need support in some areas, or experience challenges that other people do not always see. Needing support, however, does not erase everything I am capable of doing on my own. I have had to learn that I can acknowledge the areas where I struggle without allowing those struggles to become the entire definition of who I am.

Looking back now, I can see how much my world has expanded. I have navigated college, experienced major changes in my life, traveled independently, encountered cultures far beyond the one I grew up in, and become increasingly comfortable making decisions for myself. Each experience has challenged some of the assumptions that other people—and sometimes I myself have held about what I can do. None of these experiences erased the challenges I face, but they showed me that struggling with something and being capable of doing it can exist at the same time. I can feel anxious and still take a risk. I can need help and still be independent. I can experience setbacks and still continue moving forward.

That is ultimately what perseverance means to me. It is not pretending that difficult experiences do not affect me, proving myself to everyone who has underestimated me, or forcing myself to become someone I am not. It is learning how to understand myself better, advocate for what I need, recover when things do not go according to plan, and continue pursuing a life that feels meaningful to me. Perseverance is also learning to trust myself even when other people doubt me. I cannot control every assumption someone makes about me, but I can continue discovering for myself what I am capable of.

As I look toward the future, there is still a great deal that I do not know. I do not know exactly where I will live, what direction my career will ultimately take, who I will meet, or how much my goals will change as I grow older. Instead of seeing that uncertainty only as something frightening, I am beginning to see it as a possibility. There are countries I have not visited, people I have not met, interests I have not discovered, and versions of myself that I have not yet had the opportunity to become.

Being autistic will always be part of my story, but it does not determine where that story ends. I do not want my future to be defined by limitations that other people have placed on me or by the moments when I have doubted myself. If anything, my experiences have taught me that a meaningful life does not have to look conventional. I can build one that reflects who I actually am one filled with curiosity, independence, creativity, travel, meaningful work, connection, and continued growth. There will probably always be situations that challenge me, but I am becoming more confident that difficulty does not automatically mean impossibility.

I am still figuring things out, and I think that is okay. Looking ahead does not require having every answer or knowing exactly who I will become. For me, hope comes from knowing that there are still experiences worth having, places worth discovering, relationships worth building, and goals worth pursuing. My journey so far has taught me that progress is rarely a straight line and that other people’s expectations do not have to become my reality. I have already grown beyond versions of myself that I once thought were permanent, and I know I will continue to change. I cannot predict exactly what the next chapter of my life will look like, but I want to enter it with curiosity rather than fear. What matters is that I continue moving forward, learning more about myself, trusting my own capabilities, and remaining open to everything the world still has to offer.

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By Aaron Newman

Aaron Newman is an Education Studies major based in Fort Lauderdale, he writes about relationships, entertainment and fashion. He also writes about the hardship and being optimistic about his struggles and looking forward to the present and future.

For over 25 years, the Campus Clipper has helped college students in New York City—and later in Boston and Philadelphia—save money and succeed in city life. We offer a digital coupon booklet with discounts on food, clothing, and services, plus an Official Student Guidebook with real advice on how to navigate college life in a big city. Our internship program lets students.

Travel has become more than simply visiting new places for me. It has become a way to step outside of the environment I am used to and experience different cultures, lifestyles, and perspectives firsthand. Traveling through Europe has especially pushed me to become more independent and curious about the world beyond the United States. From navigating unfamiliar cities on my own to experiencing different approaches to food, transportation, history, and everyday life, each trip has taught me something that I could not have learned in a classroom. These experiences have also made me think more seriously about what kind of life I want for myself in the future and how much of the world I still want to explore.

Growing up, international travel was not something my family could always afford. As a family of five, traveling anywhere could become expensive quickly, and going overseas was an even bigger commitment. Because of this, traveling internationally felt much more distant to me as a child than it does today. I was interested in seeing other parts of the world, but I did not grow up constantly traveling from country to country. That has made the opportunities I have had as I have gotten older feel even more meaningful.

When I was 18, I took my first major step toward traveling independently when I went to Rome by myself. I spent five weeks there volunteering with cats through International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ). It was also my first experience realizing that I was capable of living independently in a completely unfamiliar environment. Suddenly, I had to navigate a foreign city, adapt to cultural differences, meet people I had never known before, and create a routine thousands of miles away from home.

Spending five weeks in Rome was very different from simply visiting somewhere for a few days. I had enough time to become familiar with the city and experience aspects of everyday life rather than seeing everything exclusively through the perspective of a tourist. I became more comfortable navigating public transportation, walking through unfamiliar neighborhoods, and figuring things out for myself when I did not immediately know what to do. There is a particular kind of confidence that comes from being alone in another country and realizing that you can handle situations without relying on someone else to guide you. While Rome was my home base during those five weeks, I also used the opportunity to explore beyond the city. I traveled to other parts of Italy, including Milan, Florence, and Pompeii, which allowed me to see how much history, culture, and everyday life could vary even within the same country. I also took a weekend trip to Switzerland, visiting Lugano, Zurich, and Lucerne. Being able to travel between cities and even cross into another country made Europe feel much more accessible to me and sparked an even greater desire to continue exploring it.

That experience also changed the way I thought about Europe. Instead of seeing it as somewhere distant that I might occasionally visit on vacation, I began to imagine what it would actually be like to spend longer periods of my life abroad. I became increasingly interested in the differences between European and American cities, particularly the way many European cities are designed around walking and public transportation. I also became interested in the individual identities of different European countries. Europe may appear relatively small on a map compared with the United States, but crossing a border can mean encountering a completely different language, history, cuisine, architecture, and culture.

Since that first solo experience, traveling has become one of the main ways I challenge myself. Every new destination requires me to become comfortable with some level of uncertainty. I have had to navigate train systems I had never used, communicate across language barriers, plan itineraries, manage money, and occasionally change plans when something goes wrong. Traveling alone has also taught me that independence does not mean everything will always go perfectly. Instead, it means developing enough confidence in yourself to respond when it does not.

Travel has also made me more curious rather than making me feel as though I have already seen enough. The more places I visit, the more aware I become of how enormous and diverse the world actually is. Visiting one European country often makes me curious about the countries surrounding it. Seeing one city makes me wonder how people live elsewhere. I have learned that even places located relatively close to one another can have completely different histories, social norms, political cultures, and ways of life.

Most importantly, traveling has expanded my idea of what my own future could look like. Growing up in the United States, it was easy to assume that my adult life would naturally remain here. Spending time abroad challenged that assumption. I have become increasingly interested in studying, working, and potentially living abroad for longer periods of time. Even if I ultimately remain in the United States, I want international experiences to continue being a meaningful part of my life.

For me, expanding my horizons does not mean simply adding more countries to a list. It means continuing to put myself in environments that are unfamiliar enough to challenge the way I think. The 18-year-old who traveled alone to Rome was taking a major risk compared with what I had previously experienced. Looking back, that decision opened the door to a much larger curiosity about Europe and the world. There are still countless places I have never been, cultures I know little about, and experiences that are completely unfamiliar to me. Rather than finding that intimidating, I find it exciting. Traveling has taught me that the world I grew up knowing is only one small part of what is possible.

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By Aaron Newman

Aaron Newman is an Education Studies major based in Fort Lauderdale, he writes about relationships, entertainment and fashion. He also writes about the hardship and being optimistic about his struggles and looking forward to the present and future.

For over 25 years, the Campus Clipper has helped college students in New York City—and later in Boston and Philadelphia—save money and succeed in city life. We offer a digital coupon booklet with discounts on food, clothing, and services, plus an Official Student Guidebook with real advice on how to navigate college life in a big city. Our internship program lets students.