At a young age, Marysue saw what having a supportive speech-language pathologist can do for autistic individuals. With two autistic brothers, she became very involved in the autistic community and saw how people treated them differently based on their abilities. The University of Nebraska Omaha sophomore has made it her goal to serve the autistic community.
Now she is a communication disorders major with a minor in nonprofit management. She says her goals have never really changed since elementary school. She has always wanted to make an impact and serve the autistic community. After graduation, she dreams of starting a nonprofit organization that will raise awareness about autism as well as provide speech-language pathology services for children and adults regardless of their ability to pay.
I knew at a young age what I wanted to do,” she says. “I watched my brothers go through their speech pathology sessions. I knew I wanted to make an impact, and I knew I needed to go to college to do so.”
In addition to studying to become a speech pathologist and advocating for the autistic community, she also is a volunteer swim instructor with the Special Olympics.
One of her fellow swim instructors, Bri, is someone Marysue finds herself looking up to as a mentor. She said Bri has adopted the mindset she wants to utilize in her future career, which is to never give up on anyone or turn them away. Bri is the mentor she needed to inspire her to work toward her college degree so she can become a speech-language pathologist.
Because college has always been on her mind, Marysue joined the College Possible program in her junior year of high school. Her brother was a part of the program and was awarded the Buffett Scholarship. When she joined, she mainly wanted help preparing for the ACT, but she quickly realized the additional benefits College Possible had to offer.
My coaches helped me apply to schools as well as for scholarships. I was fortunate to receive the Buffett Scholarship,” she said. “Not only did College Possible help me in high school, but their support has followed me to college. They check up on you, give you advice, and do what they can to help.”
