Irene Daphne Michalos

Honestly, I attribute much of my success to resilience and the challenges I’ve experienced throughout my life. Every difficult situation and every moment where I questioned why something was happening ultimately shaped me into the person I am today. I truly believe everything happens for a reason. If my life had been easy or if I had not experienced setbacks, I do not think I would have developed the empathy, perspective, and determination that led me to where I am now.

Growing up on the autism spectrum, I faced many people who doubted my future and underestimated my abilities. There were people who told my mother that I might struggle to form friendships or maintain a career. I even had professors suggest that college or becoming a therapist was not the right path for me. At times, hearing those things was incredibly discouraging, and I began questioning myself and my potential.

What helped me continue moving forward was the unwavering support of my mother, who has always been my biggest advocate. She constantly reminded me that a diagnosis does not define a person and that I was capable of achieving my goals. She encouraged me to see myself beyond labels and taught me to believe in my intelligence, strengths, and potential, even during moments when others could not see it. Her positivity and belief in me played a huge role in helping me persevere and continue pursuing the career and life I am passionate about today.

Irene would first like to highlight her mother, who always advocated for her and her triplet brothers growing up, always ensuring Irene felt that her disability didn't define her capabilities, as well as providing her with the support and encouragement to follow her dreams and continue her education. She is very grateful for her mother's love and care throughout the years and would love to highlight her as her first inspiration in life. She would also love to highlight Miss Solomon a resource room teacher who served as a therapist-like figure in her life, continuing to advocate For her through struggles in school, And providing her with amazing feedback and advice encouraging her to be courageous and persevere. She also would like to shine a light of gratitude on her coach Junie who also supported her while she was struggling through challenges with other students while on the basketball team, she never let Irene quit and continued to encourage and motivate her to be her very best self. These three women have been tremendously impactful in Irene's journey, she is grateful for all of them and hopes to be the same of support and advocate for other young women and for the parents of children with autism as an example of what's possible with the right support, programs and resources.

I would honestly say believing in yourself is the most important thing, not letting what other people say affect you. I've had so many people, including professors, tell me to change my major and that I wasn't fit to be a therapist. I honestly used to feel so bad because I was like, wow, all these teachers are doubting me, saying college isn't for me, but I just kept going, and I am where I am now. So I would really just say you need to keep going and just follow your own voice and not other voices. It's important to take a pause if needed but never quit. Anything is possible when you are passionate, and it's important to remember the people who have helped you get where you are. Build a strong community of people who support you, surround yourself with positivity and encouragement, and network so that you can expand your horizons and open new doors and opportunities down the line.

Irene will be jumping to add more detail regarding the things that have inspired her and the challenges and opportunities she sees as she enters her career, she will highlight the things that bring her joy in life including her interest in hobbies, any additional details she would like to add in regard to her mother or the other people who have impacted her life, she will add additional accomplishments or accolades for us to shine a light on, more detail regarding her goals for the future as she strives for a beneficial position in a therapist setting, as well as any additional details or stories she would like us to incorporate that helped tell her tale and have a greater impact on our readers.

I would say, honestly, empathy, compassion, passion. I would say being kind and stepping into somebody else's shoes, because I like to pay attention to the people who are really negative, to tell you the truth, because if people are negative, there's something going on in their life that makes them that way. Everybody has a story. So whether you're a positive or a negative person, there's a reason why you are the way you are. Sometimes, if someone's not nice to you, you have to just feel sad for them, like, oh wow, they must be hurting. That's why they act that way, because hurt people hurt people. I keep Coach Junie, Ms. Solomon, and my mom in mind, because growing up, those were the three people who were really kind to me. Understanding negative situations and being able to overcome that and truly identify where someone is coming from is my most important value. What brings me joy in life is really learning how to have a relationship with myself, going for a walk, taking care of myself, journaling and studying, doing things that make me feel good. But I also love doing things for others. I love going out of my way for clients. Whenever my client is sad, I'll buy her ice cream. It's not part of the job for me to spend my paycheck on that, but I really love my client. What brings me joy in life is just really taking care of people. I enjoy it.