Autism Goes To College
Autism Goes To College
EP 56: Dom Graduates from Bridgewater State! Grad School, Autism Advocacy & Campus Life Up Next
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For Dom Z., Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts was an endless buffet of opportunities. In this episode of Autism Goes to College, Dom shares with Katharine how he made it across the finish line while immersing himself in campus life, student government, clubs, and the music scene. Plus, he updates us on his personal quest to make life better for every student on campus who might have invisible challenges.
Dom loved the academic coaching available at BSU, got a few college accommodations that helped him with note taking and test taking, and his academic path zig-zagged a bit. He credits a professor with guiding him to stick with his major of Communication Sciences & Disorders, while also looking for creative ways to build a career outside of the traditional speech-language professions.
Advocacy for autistic and neurodiverse college students, how to do college without burning out, disability accommodations, academic coaching, campus belonging, and ways to make grad school work when you also need to work are all part of this conversation.
Do not take classes because you think you should take the classes. Economics and computer science. I took because I thought that it could help me in the professional world. And if it gives you an existential crisis about your identity as a scholar, and then that bleeds through to your other courses, including the ones you're actually passionate about, just drop it. Do not feel ashamed for dropping a class.
SPEAKER_02It takes work.
SPEAKER_01Join clubs, find groups, find your people, find ways to fit in, see a peer mentor, see somebody who can help you get involved on campus.
SPEAKER_05There were a lot of black children on the spectrum who were also deaf. She's not the first one.
SPEAKER_06I researched all of the majors and I eliminated the ones that sounded not interesting to me. So then I changed it to chemical engineering to to work with chemistry. Then I took an environmental science class and I'm like, I think environmental issues are really important, and I'm really passionate about state sustainability and stuff. So then I changed it to finally environmental engineering.
SPEAKER_04Especially in a college town like Don't DoorDash. Like, just go out and get the food. It's good exercise.
SPEAKER_03Hey everyone! Thanks for joining us on this episode of Autism Goes to College. The podcast for students on the spectrum and for everyone who supports us. Navigating college is always a challenge. So here are the hacks, insights, and great ideas you've been looking for to make college work for you. We're a small group of self-advocates. We're all in college or recently graduated. And you can do this too.
SPEAKER_01Hello, and thanks for listening to our podcast, Autism Goes to College. I'm Dominic Zullo, and I'm happy to share that I graduated last week from Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. I've had an amazing college experience. It began to community college, then I transferred, and now I have my degree in communication sciences and disorders with a minor in music. I got deeply involved in many aspects of college life, internships and advocacy for students with disabilities, and I'm here to catch you all up on how it went for me since my last visit to the podcast almost two years ago. I'm here with Catherine O'Brien, the host of the Autism Goes to College podcast, and I'm gonna hand it over to her.
SPEAKER_07Hey everyone. Thanks for joining me. Congratulations. Um, I am so proud of you from the time I met you as a high school freshman until now as a college alumnus. It's just wonderful. So how how did it go in the final semester and you know, in that exciting, breathless push to graduation?
SPEAKER_01Um, truthfully and realistically, um, well, it's been a great four years, but in the push to graduation, there was a lot of like, you know, transition similar to when I transitioned from high school to post-high school at milestones and then from post-high school to college. Probably the biggest transition since then. And it wasn't without my moments of like, you know, getting stressed, getting dysregulated at times. That being said, what matters is it's not about how many times you fall down, it's about how many times you get back up and keep going. And I decided like the me from like five or six years ago would have wanted me to keep getting up and keep doing what I'm doing. And that's what I decided to do with the help of many people I've met during my time at BSU.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, that's a great perspective. I'm really glad that your support network was helping you manage those intense moments. Were there any things that particularly helped managing that, or was it just really the support and love of your community?
SPEAKER_01Um, partially support I had from my community and also the fact that I had a lot of good things to look forward to. But openly I'll admit this. The one biggest thing that I would say I struggled with during my college experience was especially during this past semester, I was really burning both ends of the candle. Like overloading my schedule with too many activities. And I decided going into my grad school year where I have a little more free time in my schedule, that that's not what I want to do. I don't want to burn myself out, and I believe it's important not to do that. Despite that, I did have a lot of support from my fellow pro staff at Center for Student Engagement, as well as my pro staff at Student Accessibility Services and all those that I worked with at Excel and at CPDC. So despite all this, I still had an amazing support system, a lot to look forward to. It's like the Kinks used to say stop, hold on, stay in control. And that's what I decided I want to do going forward. And also focusing a little bit more on, like, you know, okay, so I've had moments where I've gotten irritated over transitions, but what do I do to prevent myself from getting to those moments? And that's what I want to focus on going into grad school because I've made a lot of improvements with that over time, but it's never too late to keep improving, and that's what I want to do.
SPEAKER_07Yeah. Were there specific parts of the transition out of undergrad life that were really challenging? Just so maybe folks who are in their second to last or final semester can kind of think ahead.
SPEAKER_01So for students who are going into their second to last or final semester, you're gonna have a lot of activities piled into your schedule. Whether it be senior activities, what I recommend is don't try to do everything. Don't pile too many activities onto your schedule. Go to what you can go to, but don't burn yourself out. Also, senior year is a time where, like, you know, people tend to overspend a lot. I and what I recommend doing is like, you know, watch your budget, keep in into perspective what you're spending on. Think, will this purchase be worth it in the long run? And it's also important to think about what your next steps are. Do I want to live independently? Do I want to go to grad school? Do I want a full-time job? Do I want to do all three? It's a very, like, you know, pick your path situation. And also don't apply for just one job. Apply to like 30 or 40 different jobs, because I know people who have gotten to a situation where, like, you know, they apply to one and they don't get it, and I knew that that wasn't a position I wanted to be in. I already have like 10 different graduate assistantships and planning on applying to, which fingers crossed I get one, but I was able to get a job at the YMCA, which I'm just started the other day, and also an internship with the Neurodiversity Alliance. So, like, you know, good things will happen. Like, you know, even if you think you can't get to that milestone, never say never. You will be able to get there if you work for it. And also, don't spend a lot of time comparing yourself to others, comparing it to people who might have more than you, being like, oh, this person has that, this person has this stuff that I don't have. Instead of looking at them and being like, I wish I was that person or wish I could like, you know, have what they have. Think about what I can do to take the steps to get there. What can I do to take the steps to get to that apartment, to get to that job, to have some success. Because, like, you know, success isn't always about how much you have, it's also about how you treat people. That's what I how I look at it. And also, don't walk through life trying to be somebody you're not. I believe Kurt Cobain said it best wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are. So embrace embrace yourself, learn to accept yourself, do things on your own time at your own pace, and that is how you are going to thrive.
SPEAKER_07Yeah. So academically, how was the coursework as a senior? Did it get harder? How did you manage the last year?
SPEAKER_01My academic course load was much harder during the fall than it was during the spring, but I think part of why it was hard wasn't because the classes were hard. It was mainly because I piled too many activities onto my schedule. And also I was working 18 to 20 hours a week on average. And the big lesson I learned from this is you can't do everything, you can't burn yourself out. When you gotta put a class first, you are a student first. There are two things that come before your involvement always, and those are one, your work as a student, and two, your mental health. And if you prioritize those things above anything else, that's how you're gonna thrive. This event may look fun that you want to go to, but it's important you prioritize your own mental health, well-being, and academics in the midst of doing that.
SPEAKER_07And speaking of things that can help with prioritizing your academics and really getting the most out of them and your mental health, um, accommodations and supports. Did you change what you requested or used over the last couple years? Have you continued to work with an academic coach?
SPEAKER_01Yes, I did. Well, I I still were I've worked with academic coaching all four years of my time at BSU, but this past year as a senior, it was especially helpful. I have a different one I work with every year, so that's awesome. And uh not only that, but also I have done a lot of work in terms of not just doing academic coaching, but also encouraging others to use it and taking up those opportunities as well. Because the academic achievement center, some people might look at it from the outside and say, Oh, it's cool, I should check it out. But there's a real mistake you can make in not taking advantage of resources like the Academic Achievement Center, Career Services, Center for Student Engagement, other types of involvement on campus, involvement fairs, career fairs, and resource fairs. 92% of BSU students from the classes of 2024 and 25 from FECT reported being enrolled full-time in a job or in grad school or living independently within six months to a year of graduating. So it really shows to you how beneficial those resources will be to you and to take advantage of them. And I've been a strong advocate for encouraging others to use them too.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, and I think it's important to see successful, happy students who are just like, yeah, I use this, I love it, it helped me. Um last time we were we were talking, you were thinking ahead, kind of entertaining graduate school versus workforce and career options with the communication sciences and disorders degree that were either the traditional speech language pathology or alternative routes. I know you're headed to grad school, but talk us through your career aspirations and what you're thinking right now.
SPEAKER_01So I took speech and hearing science in the spring of 2024. It was my third ever speech language pathology class, and I decided, okay, this field probably isn't the field that was right for me. But it was my advisor, Dr. Iker. She told me when I felt like I wanted to drop the major, don't drop the major, because there are other directions you can do with this field. And so I decided that I wanted to go to grad school for higher ed administration through BSU, and I want to do work to become a disability and accessibility services coordinator or work in higher ed, whether it be working in admissions, student accessibility services, an Excel type program, Center for Student Engagement type program. I want to do that when I graduate, and I'm planning on moving out to Western Mass, hopefully, or Western or Central Mass and working at a college or state university out there. That being said, I feel like I've made a really big impact at BSU and I want to make an impact on a school where maybe they don't have as much knowledge of disability and accessibility services or there isn't a lot of representation of those students on campus. So, and that's what I've been looking at.
SPEAKER_07Wonderful. And you mentioned that you're thinking of eventually living in central or western Massachusetts, but you know, last time we spoke, you had decided against moving into the dorms as an undergraduate. What are you thinking of for housing during grad school?
SPEAKER_01It's a one-year program, so I'm planning on living at home to save money from whatever GA thing I do, whatever internship I'm doing with the Neurodiversity Alliance, which I'm also attending their conference in Denver this year to learn about neurodiversity leadership on college campuses and how to expand that. And I'm very excited about that. And also whatever I make at the Y. Planning on saving that up for an apartment and moving out to Western Mass to pursue a career out there. Which, if you've ever been to Northampton, Northampton is a wonderful community, very inclusive, lots of things I love seeing there, disability accessibility, multiculturalism, people from all different cultures and backgrounds blending together. And I immediately thought to myself, I've been there like eight or nine times, and I love what I see. Just keeps getting better and better each time. And I like this is around the area where I want to work.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, and and you know, the arts and culture scene, it brings me back to your minor in music. Have you been playing in any bands still? Like what what is your uh music involvement going like right now?
SPEAKER_01This past year I participated uh both semesters in the chorale performance, the pop vocal performance, my professor's individual voice recital, which I had done for seven semesters in a row, and also participating in various talent shows across campus. And also, I probably won't be doing any BSU music performances in the fall, but I decided that I want to continue performing at um local music venues throughout Massachusetts and expanding my music career because I want to do higher ed by day and local gigs by night. That's how I want to do my career, and not only that, but I also decided that um I've been reaching out to friends for music venue recommendations, and I have a friend who lives in Grafton, Massachusetts, who told me that there's actually a venue in her hometown that does open mics, so when she gets the name of the place, she's gonna let me know so I can go play there.
SPEAKER_07Okay. Well, Massachusetts music fans look for a DOM at an open mic near you. Um I I I wondered about any bands, but obviously the answer was many bands. Um, so did you finish out your undergrad uh degree as a commuter student? Do you have any commuter student pro tips now that you've been at it for a while?
SPEAKER_01I did all four years as a commuter, and I was still able to go to hundreds of events. And I will say to any commuter student looking to get involved, old or new, don't think that just because you're a commuter that that means you can't get involved. Take advantage of the opportunities that are offered to you, get involved, make the most of it, and pretty much anything that's open to a resident is open to a commuter as well. And there's always something happening every day across campus. So definitely take advantage of that.
SPEAKER_07Yeah. Um, and so I know you've done a variety of work with campus centers, with orientation, um, and around building, you know, disability community and neurodiversity community. Um, what's the work been like lately? What have what have you been accomplishing?
SPEAKER_01Well, for the second year in a row, the Excel students got to attend graduation at Xfinity Center. And uh in addition to that, for the second year in a row, um, they got to attend the Crimson Gala, the senior dance, and they have had continuing growing involvement in Program Council. My friend Dylan is one of our most loyal supporters at Program Council. What's up, Dylan? Giving you a shout out. Um and uh I also made a goal for myself at the beginning of the school year, being like, okay, one of your goals, because it was my final year on the program council eboard, Dom, you're gonna find somebody who is just as passionate about disability inclusion as you are and is gonna continue the stuff that you've been doing. And I met this really nice girl named Alondra, and Alondra is a really good friend. We've been become really good friends ever since the beginning of her freshman year and my senior year, and the moment I met her was the moment I knew she was gonna do good things for the world. And she is in this year alone, she's won an Impact Award and an Access All-Star Award, got accepted to the program council and best buddies and Dia Freak eboards, and I'm like, she's going somewhere, she's gonna continue what I started. And I also wanted to give you a shout out to two of my other friends, my good friend Cora and my good friend Alex, both of which are awesome people, also started this past year at BSU and are looking to make a difference in creating a disability and accessibility campus advocacy at BSU. So it really warms my heart to see three people and counting who I know are gonna want to continue the stuff that I started and are looking to continue making an impact. Like it really feels amazing.
SPEAKER_07Could you tell us a little bit more about the Excel students and how you got involved with working with that program?
SPEAKER_01So I got involved with the Excel program through Best Buddies. Um, a lot of our Excel students partake in Best Buddies, and some of them have served on the eBoard, as well as the eBoard of Special Olympics. Excel is a post-secondary program for students with disabilities on campus, and um we help them with a variety of skills like daily living skills. Um we have ILS workshops, independent living skills, as well as um a variety of things, such as um like peer mentors that help with them, ed coaches that help with them, and a variety of people who serve in those roles to help with them. And it's a great program to be a part of, but in in in recent years, we've had a lot of Excel students who have wanted to get more involved with things like our program council group, which puts in all of our large-scale events run by students for students, as well as more opportunities to be involved in student life at like involvement fairs and stuff, and more desire to have people without disabilities at their events, like best buddies events. And I also had been an advocate for these students to make sure that they were not integrated but included. And because inclusion, everybody's involved as opposed to integration, where they're at one table kind of separate away from everybody. But when I when we the first couple of dimes where we got them to go to Crimson Gala, to graduation, to be involved in events across campus, those were moments of my life and my time at BSU that I'll never forget and in the best way possible. And I've said it before about Crimson Gala, those were two of the sweetest nights of my life, and if I had to spend four years at BSU just to experience those two nights, it would be two four years well worth it.
SPEAKER_07So Excel students have intellectual and developmental disabilities, and you got involved because you were mentoring with Bist Buddies, which is a peer-to-peer mentorship organization.
SPEAKER_01Yep. I also worked as a peer mentor for the Excel program as well, both a day mentor and a night mentor.
SPEAKER_07And speaking of broader advocacy efforts, I know there's been some meaningful progress on the blue envelope bill in Massachusetts lately. Can you tell us a little more about that and what's been happening?
SPEAKER_01So I got pulled over at the end of March at one point, and I wasn't really sure what to expect, but the officer who took my blue envelope, he checked it out and he immediately knew what it was, and he said he gave me a warning, which was like, you know, be safe on the roads and all that, but also gave me an offer to speak at the local police department in their town about the blue envelope bill advocacy, and I'm going to do that with them next month. And not only that, but uh I also went to the state house last year to support it with my mom, and it um passed the house and is now on the way to Governor Mara Healy's desk to be signed into law.
SPEAKER_07Yeah. So for those of you that may live in a state without a blue envelope uh bill or law, the blue envelope is an optional program for autistic and otherwise similarly disabled drivers so that when you're in a high-stakes interaction with law enforcement where you might have autistic distress behaviors or it might be hard to communicate socially, the envelope around your driver's license lets the officer know in a like a non confrontational manner that keeps it safe for everybody that you have a disability that should be accommodated respectfully. So that's what that's about. And Dom and his mom have been pretty instrumental in getting that program enacted in Massachusetts. And the legislation is to kind of mandate training in support of it throughout the state. You've accomplished, you know, so much from starting at community college to now earning your BA and getting that grad school acceptance and forging that bold path forward. Looking back, any advice for autistic students just starting out in college or kind of in the middle of it, in the thick of things, what do you wish you'd been told or what do you want to tell people?
SPEAKER_01The three most important life lessons that I've learned that got me to where I am now as a college student. First and foremost, don't worry about what other people think. You know, if you like you, that's what matters most. And secondly, and more importantly, don't try to be somebody you're not, and don't compare yourself to others. The only person you should be comparing yourself to is you. And, you know, wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are. And thirdly, and more importantly, this is the most important one, look at the world from a perspective of, so what? So what if something didn't turn out the way I wanted to? So what if things aren't going according to plan? So what if I have to make changes? Instead of being all upset about that sort of stuff, take steps to think about what I can do to solve this problem, what can I do better next time? And the more you focus on a solution as opposed to being focused on the problem, the more you are likely to thrive in college. And also seek support from others too if you don't know the answer.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, absolutely. Congratulations again and congratulations on your acceptance to grad school for the master's in higher ed administration. That's really exciting. I think the higher ed space needs people like you, Dom, who have the passion and the fire and the lived experience of what works.
SPEAKER_01Thank you.
SPEAKER_07All right, and that's our show. Thank you.
SPEAKER_01Thank you so much for having me, Catherine. I appreciate it.
SPEAKER_07The documentary film Autism Goes to College is currently available through many channels, but the easiest way to see it today is to rent it on Vimeo On Demand, which you can access from your Apple TV or most smart TVs by going on the Vimeo On Demand app. You can also find a direct link on our website at www.autismgoes to college.org. The film is also available for educational use and live and hybrid screening events. All the relevant info and links can be found on our website. Thank you so much for listening, following us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, and especially for adding your reviews on Apple Podcasts. Our show is specifically for students on the spectrum navigating college, and we really appreciate your support for Autism Goes to College. Thanks for listening.