Zoey Giesberg, Future MSW with ASD

Blog_Zoey

Zoey Giesberg, FACT Intern & Future MSW

As the 2014-2015 school year begins, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the newest staff intern at FACT. Here are some basic facts (insert awkward laughing here) about me:

  • I am 27 years old and a West Los Angeles native
  • I am wrapping up my Masters of Social Work degree at the University of Southern California with an emphasis on community organizing, planning, and administration
  • I got my BA in European History and Theater at the University of California at Santa Cruz (all hail the mighty banana slug!)
  • I have been volunteering with FACT for the past year as an administrative assistant, co-facilitator of the young adults social skills group, and visiting staff assistant to the GAP program
  • I was diagnosed with high-functioning autism when I was two years old

This last bit of trivia has profoundly shaped my life. When I was diagnosed in 1989, not much was known about autism and the doctors told my parents they didn’t know if I could lead a full rounded life. But through strong advocacy, support, and sheer perseverance, I’ve managed to build a strong social support network, get a full-rounded education, live on my own, and pursue a career I’m passionate about. I am the first person on the autistic spectrum to be fully incorporated into the regular LAUSD track and completed my bachelor’s degree in four years, including a semester abroad in the United Kingdom.

 

So why am I here? Well, I didn’t really know I wanted to have anything to do with autism on a professional level until my first year of grad school. In fact, I was afraid I wouldn’t know how to interact with someone else on the spectrum and it would actually bring out the worst in me. I worked with a toddler on the autistic spectrum during my first year internship and through that year I saw a lot of myself in that child. I saw how bright, how happy, how eager the child was and if given the right support, how that child could really succeed. There is potential for anyone on the autistic spectrum to live a happy and fulfilling life – we just have to give them the chance and opportunity to make it happen.

If you meet me, it might not look like I may be autistic but I share a lot of the same issues and strongly empathize with the people FACT serve. I understand and live a lot of the challenges, concerns, and issues people on the autistic spectrum deal with and I hope I can be an asset to FACT because of it. If you want to share any questions or concerns with me, feel free to contact me at [email protected].

I look forward to working and talking with you all!