When you discover your truest self, the world unfolds in unexpected ways. Albert Jersey, a shining example of this axiom, joins us to share his story of self-discovery and acceptance in the face of autism. With every word, Albert, a staff accountant on the cusp of earning his graduate degree, paints a picture of the challenges he's faced and the victories he's claimed. He isn't just climbing the corporate ladder; he's reshaping perceptions about autism, one candid conversation at a time. From his earliest diagnosis to the network of friends and advocates he's built, Albert's experiences remind us that our differences aren't just to be acknowledged—they're to be celebrated.
As we turn our gaze to the horizon, Albert doesn't just look to the future—he plans to seize it with both hands. He's ready to don the cap and gown, but his journey doesn't end at commencement. There's a resonance in his ambitions, from the strategic moves he'll make in the world of investments with Charles Schwab to the chords he'll strike on his guitar, mirroring the solace he finds in faith and music. Albert's tale is woven with the threads of mentorship, the solace of spiritual rituals, and the supportive chords of a compassionate boss. He prompts us to see the potential in networking through LinkedIn and encourages us to engage with our communities, underscoring that growth is not just an individual endeavor—it's a collective one. Join Albert on this inspirational episode, and you might just find the courage to embrace your own path, wherever it may lead.
When you discover your truest self, the world unfolds in unexpected ways. Albert Jersey, a shining example of this axiom, joins us to share his story of self-discovery and acceptance in the face of autism. With every word, Albert, a staff accountant on the cusp of earning his graduate degree, paints a picture of the challenges he's faced and the victories he's claimed. He isn't just climbing the corporate ladder; he's reshaping perceptions about autism, one candid conversation at a time. From his earliest diagnosis to the network of friends and advocates he's built, Albert's experiences remind us that our differences aren't just to be acknowledged—they're to be celebrated.
As we turn our gaze to the horizon, Albert doesn't just look to the future—he plans to seize it with both hands. He's ready to don the cap and gown, but his journey doesn't end at commencement. There's a resonance in his ambitions, from the strategic moves he'll make in the world of investments with Charles Schwab to the chords he'll strike on his guitar, mirroring the solace he finds in faith and music. Albert's tale is woven with the threads of mentorship, the solace of spiritual rituals, and the supportive chords of a compassionate boss. He prompts us to see the potential in networking through LinkedIn and encourages us to engage with our communities, underscoring that growth is not just an individual endeavor—it's a collective one. Join Albert on this inspirational episode, and you might just find the courage to embrace your own path, wherever it may lead.
Welcome to the SJ Childs Show, where a little bit of knowledge can turn fear into understanding. Enjoy the show. Thanks for joining the SJ Childs Show Today. I look forward to this conversation. This is Albert Jersey. It's going to be great to get his perspective and find out more about him, find out how we can support him. You know anything like that. Welcome to the show, albert.
Speaker 2:Nice to be here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, thanks so much and thanks for almost, you know, putting your sick time at risk to just talk to me. Holy moly, I'm so sorry. I'm glad that we got to do this when you're off work and you can just relax and, and, yeah, we can just have very chill conversation. You're on the East Coast, right?
Speaker 2:That's correct. I'm in central Massachusetts.
Speaker 1:Oh, massachusetts. I have never been, but I really would love to go. I actually have a lot of friends now on the East Coast and especially Massachusetts, so that's exciting. Well, tell us a little bit about yourself, an introduction, and then we'll just kind of go from there.
Speaker 2:Okay, I'm Albert Jersey. I was born in Atlanta, lived there for three years and moved to North Carolina, but I moved here in Massachusetts when I was four and a half and I've been here ever since. Right now, I'm a staff accountant for Metalhawk Biolabs and Contract Research firm that does work for Big Pharma and Biotech Wow. And currently I'm a graduate student pursuing a degree for accounting, and I'm probably going to graduate in May, like this year.
Speaker 1:Congratulations. That's a wonderful, wonderful accomplishment.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I've also been doing autism self-advocacy for about, I would say, three or four years, ever since I came in contact with Ryan Litchfield. Like me and him go way back in high school.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's exciting. Ryan has been a great friend and even has helped me out on one of my events, the one in 44 tour, and so that's really exciting to have those connections. And then, if you don't mind sharing, when were you diagnosed and when did that journey start, or even when you were aware of when that happened?
Speaker 2:That's a great question. I believe I was diagnosed with autism when I was about three years old in Atlanta. I wasn't made aware of it until, like I think, first or second grade, when I was in elementary school. I think that's when I was told. But I think more of my classmates were educated about that in fourth grade. So, like some guy just came in there like okay, that's why Albert's the way he is.
Speaker 1:How did that make you feel? Were you glad that someone came in to teach them, or did you feel maybe a little bit like spotlight?
Speaker 2:I'm comfortable at the time.
Speaker 1:Yes, but then maybe over time did it feel like it? Did it change the way people interacted with you or make it better or worse?
Speaker 2:I don't think it changed a thing.
Speaker 1:Hmm, that's probably good to know.
Speaker 2:There were people that were there to accept me for who I am, but yeah, I think a little bit after that.
Speaker 1:I try to fit in, but that didn't work out. But.
Speaker 2:I think it's in this thing the more you try to be someone you're not, the more you're going to be excluded.
Speaker 1:But yeah, isn't that the truth? And how ironic almost, is that that you're just trying your best to feel like you're part of something, but the more you try, the less that you're part of it, because you're not being true to who you really are. It has a lot to do with masking and, you know, oftentimes bullying for kids in that social setting. What did it look like? It sounds like you met Ryan in high school, so when you went further, kind of into your older schooling, did it? It turned out a little bit better for you.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, absolutely. Well, high school was really rough. I went through a rough period Like after that. I made some not very good decisions, Like after I got bullied by a high school team, but a couple of good friends were there for me. Well, it was Brett and Matt Nelson. Like those two were there for me when I was at my lowest point, and now it's like me and Brett have been best friends ever since.
Speaker 1:I love that, do you?
Speaker 2:It's like I've been out of my comfort zone and all that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and now that you are in college and I mean graduating and everything how has that turned into a better social situation for you, or what does that look like?
Speaker 2:I think this is probably the best social situation in my life. That's great Because, honestly, you're just unfiltered. It's happiness. There's no rules for happiness.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:If you're happy, you're happy, Like ever since I moved to my new place two weeks ago, which is in the country setting and Massachusetts, the town's, Lancaster. But it just clicked to me Like it doesn't matter how you should be happy, you're happy. Like if you're feeling good, like why should a jerk dictate how you feel? But if they say oh, you're dumb, you got to say OK, like that doesn't matter. I feel happy. What you're saying is like not cool bro.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and not true either. Right, exactly, and I love that you said that. Just be happy. And not enough people follow that instinct within them. They want to fight against it because they think of, like they're having FOMOs, all of these things that they might be missing out on here and there. But I really love that you said that and that kind of when you settle into that happiness and being able to just accept yourself and maybe the friends that you do have who've been there for you, and stay, it's easier to kind of rally yourself to the next step.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. It's like whoever's there for you, like in your lowest points, and there, like for your achievements. Those are the people you want to be around.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, what are your plans in your self-advocacy? What does that look like now for you and where do you want that to go?
Speaker 2:That's a really good question. Keep connecting with all the autism self-advocates like you and Ryan and Jeff Snyder and Michelle Can't see where it goes. And last year I got a call from Temple Grand when I sent an email saying I could use advice. But I'm like wow. But, she just said like tell your story about how you change your life or make a better decision. How you mature.
Speaker 1:And now you're doing that. Here you are, now we're doing it. So great for you for taking her wonderful advice. I just had an email with her last week too, so that's great that you said that She'll be coming to my hometown, and I'm going to plan to finally see her in person instead of just on the computer, on the phone.
Speaker 2:Yes, that must be exciting.
Speaker 1:Very, very exciting. What could you maybe tell parents? What should they do when they're kind of getting that first diagnosis? What is the best thing you think maybe happened for you as a kid? Any kind of therapies or non-therapies, or just believing in you? What kind of things do you think we can help parents understand?
Speaker 2:I think parents should think okay, what can I do after?
Speaker 2:this. Don't let the negative people dictate how you should think. Okay, maybe this kid thinks differently than the neurotypicals, but rather okay, what therapy should we use so our child can have a better life? And also, there's an author like I've read four years ago. It does have a swear, but this guy wrote in an article or a blog saying people on the spectrum do not know how to not care about other people's opinions, and that's a tremendous gift. So it's like they don't know how to not take offense to bad comments. They're just in their happy own world, but they were taught to take offense.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's so interesting you said that because I think that is such kind of like a blanket statement to make about people. There's so many different ways, like even in my own family, from my husband, myself, my daughter and my son we couldn't be further different from one another. And my son, for example, is 14, still semi verbal, and so for him there's so many more challenges and so much more support needed and so many more ways that you know we still need to show up for him and care for him on a daily basis and moment to moment sometimes. And then you like look at someone like me who's hosting a podcast and hosting events and people think, well, that's not possible, there's no way. There's no way that you can be autistic and, believe me, I can take event.
Speaker 1:I take offense to people's uneducated opinions sometimes and I have to rethink how. That's just the case. They're just uneducated. I don't need to take bad feelings from that. But then I think, like you just said, my son, on the other hand, I don't know that he has the ability or has that trait to take offense to something in the way that I might. So I think that it's so individualized to how somebody connects with the world around them through empathy or sympathy, all of those things.
Speaker 2:Right, I think it's a big parents, just like they shouldn't be afraid to like stand up, and plus, I think they just had to think to themselves just never give up, just never give up.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2:I mean never give up, just always keep going. Like it's like Rocky. You see, it's like the 15th round. Like like out in my previous place from last year, like my landlord say oh Albert, you just got to go because he had to live there.
Speaker 2:I just had to go through a rough time and all that. I understand that it happens, but I just watched them once, see, but like, like Rocky Lee, this guy let me Like he just wouldn't like stay down but he would eat Apollo, yeah, but a lot of these people on the spectrum. Like Temple, she just kept going and she made a difference throughout the autism community and the cattle industry.
Speaker 1:Yeah, amazing, and we're so thankful to have her kind of as a pioneer, to kind of follow in her footsteps and be the voices that follow and say, hey, we're still out here educating, we're still out here helping, making differences out here. I love that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and also like I think there should be, like I think the teachers and principals and like the superintendents they could be more aware and like have some more improvement how they treat people on a spectrum and special needs. And then people from poorer communities.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, absolutely, and there's a lot of work that needs to be done, especially in the education system and our economic you know social systems too, for sure. What, um, a little bit more lighthearted question what are your, some of your interests and hobbies that you love to do that keep you happy.
Speaker 2:Um well, I love playing the guitar. I started that three years ago. Really I have it behind me.
Speaker 1:And are you going to play a song for us? No, no, no, just kidding. You don't pressure Another time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, maybe another time.
Speaker 1:No, that's wonderful. I love music too. Have you always loved music?
Speaker 2:I've always loved listening to music. I wanted to play guitar in fifth grade but I didn't fall through it but. But once COVID happened, I'm like, okay, I got to something. But then I started doing a new hobby, which was Nature walking. And then guitar came in, and then I started learning Portuguese for my foreign neighbors. Oh, I love that.
Speaker 1:So do you um have my son's a really picky eater, so we have a hard time Like he loves other countries and other languages, but I can't imagine that he would ever try any other new foods or anything like that. Do you find, do you like to try new foods or do you have kind of more of a routine that you like to follow? Um well, let's see how I put this up.
Speaker 2:I used to be a picky eater. When I was a kid I used to eat great pretzels and french fries. That used to be my routine. But I think once I go into fifth grade I started eating sausage, pizza and meat and then I started to eat everything. But once I started living on my own I'm like OK, I'm just going to be on a budget so I can get my account growing because I'm an accountant. So like I was facing it.
Speaker 2:We don't keep track how much we spent because it's surprising like how much we impulse by, but when you work at your statement it's like yeah, I probably need an accountant in my life.
Speaker 1:It's not me. It's not me.
Speaker 2:It's not like how smart you are, it's like how much discipline can you control? Like from like I don't know, go ahead and duck into McDonald's drive for a second.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, that is true, you know. Yeah, we made a. We made a life changing decision, probably like 12 or 13 years ago. I said probably. I have read around the same time as our, our son, so about 12 years ago that we wouldn't weren't going to eat fast food. In fact, our kids have never been through McDonald's ever and like we have gotten you know other things from like higher end places a couple of times, but for the most part, plus we go to a water distillery and we get like clean water for our family to drink and everything. So it's made big changes in our kind of overall health. I think you know in general, yeah, and it's like that's great.
Speaker 2:Oh, but now that I'm living with my own again, I have like spinach, I have carrot juice, I had like that other green juice berries. What do you mean?
Speaker 1:I love that.
Speaker 2:Sounds fantastic.
Speaker 1:Well, that's really great. And so do you, do you get together like, and you get together? Do you do you get together like in any social groups or anything Autism related or other, just to to go out now and do things, or do you know people mostly online?
Speaker 2:Oh it's. It used to be like more online, but at one point like I think it was like one and a half years ago, which was like 2022. But that was like before I started grad school, because I was just so busy, oh my. God but it was at the autism resource center with Ryan Litchfield, so we met up occasionally. Like to meet up with Diane Crossley, that's great. And we just discussed, like, how we can help these kids and like and have fun together and make a difference.
Speaker 1:Yeah, how'd that make you feel really fulfilled?
Speaker 2:It made me very fulfilled.
Speaker 1:Yeah, kind of giving back what you kind of hopefully were given or, if not, giving what you didn't get sometimes in life is what we do.
Speaker 2:Right, and now that I'm approaching graduation, I think I'll have more time for this again.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh, I love that. It's been so nice getting to know you today and everything. Is there any? Do you have any projects other than I mean graduation that's humongous coming up Any other projects? Or you know organizations that you're with or anything like that?
Speaker 2:I did contemplate. Well, sometimes I go to a chapel like to pray, but I've been contemplating recently. Should I go to Mass? But?
Speaker 1:but also occasionally I go with my guitar teacher to church to pray with him, you know, and it's great that you have sounds like some good mentors and some people that are really supportive for you in your life, so I'm super happy to hear that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and my boss is like a great mentor. I got lucky.
Speaker 1:So proud of you Fantastic. Well, thank you so much for adjusting your schedule and being available to be, you know, vulnerable and catch up, and I look forward to staying in touch with you and maybe inviting you to come to our next autism event that we will be having virtually.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:Great. Well, let me know in the future how I can support you if there's any social medias that you want to give people. Otherwise, you know. Whatever, however, you like people to get in touch with you LinkedIn or anything like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I noticed, like LinkedIn, like starting to develop more connections since COVID, I'm like oh hopefully, it's this like pretty awesome.
Speaker 1:Great. Well, I'll make sure to have your links available so that people know where to find you and you know talk to you and find out what's going, anything else going on in your life. So hopefully you can keep making those connections. And so, when you get out of grad school, what is your plan?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I do have a new plan. I started like a new like Charles, like Schwab, so I'm thinking like doing a little investing. I don't know, I just had a lot of things to like do. There's just so much abundance in the world like if you go through hard times like just makes you think, wow, I'm still here.
Speaker 1:But amazing what we can endure and draw from that to move on to bigger and better things.
Speaker 2:Exactly right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, thank you so much. I'm so excited we got to make this connection and, yeah, hopefully we can stay in touch.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:Sounds great.