Podcast 54 | transcript
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Hey, thanks for listening to our podcast, Autism Goes to College. I’m Quincy Simmons. I’m a senior and I’m ready to graduate from Sunni News. I’m
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22 years old and I’m a multimedia storyteller and artist majoring in journalism with minors in film and video and black studies. I’m an aspiring
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filmmaker, poet, and podcast host. And I’ve interviewed a range of people including experts to explore neurody
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divergence with my guests. I’ve been a resident adviser in the dorms of Sunni News for three years and I’m an active
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in several organizations and we’ll talk about that.
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I did consider a few colleges, you know, choices among Sunni systems, systems and H.B.CU. Now, with just two months to go
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until graduation, we’ll talk about my college experience, some hacks, and just in general
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about me. So, I’m here with Katherine O’Brien and the host of Autism Goes to College, and I’m going to hand it over to her.
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Hey everyone, I am so stoked to bring you this conversation with Quinzy. And
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before we dive in, um, I wanted to say, uh, you are also a master of the podcasting medium. You have, uh,
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published several episodes of your podcast, Unmasked, which I love the name. I listened to your first Unmasking
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Neurodiversity episode. Your first guest is your mother. It’s just like a beautifully intimate look into the mosaic diversity of neurodiversity.
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But uh how did you get started and get inspired to make that podcast?
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So the mask we wear came from a class project. It was originally a class project of mine from my professor uh
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Nori. Um she had actually came and was a professor for um the spring of 2025
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semester and she wanted us to do a project um derivative of her podcast rep, a story about the stories we tell which is a great podcast in itself. I
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recommend listening to it. Highly recommend. Um, so she was like, you know, you could do the podcast or
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writing or, you know, video or journaling or whatnot, whatever medium you want. And I chose to do podcast
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because at the time I was taking a podcasting class and I dibbled and dabbled in, you know, audio production.
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So I was like, let me do a podcast, right? Um, or like an episode or snippet. Um, so in time I had people listen to it, you know, for this, you
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know, project. Mind you, this is a class project at the time. And people were like, “Hey, why don’t you make it into a series?” And I was like, “Really?” Like, you know, I don’t know if I could keep
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up, you know, obviously like if you’re a content creator, you know, you have to keep some type of momentum, you know, be repetitive, like not repetitive, but
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just keep like some type of momentum or like, you know, like, you know, stamina going when you’re producing content. And you know, while I, you know, every, you
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know, month or so, like I drop episodes, I feel like that’s definitely like guess for me rhythm. Like for me, just as a college student, as an RA, also working
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two jobs, it it definitely did provide that balance. I was like, bet, you know, I’ll get started with this show. I’ll, you know, I’ll talk about it. And I
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tried to write down, you know, a few ideas of what I could do for episodes. And the rest is history.
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Yeah. So you mentioned in the opening that you considered a variety of schools um the state universities of New York,
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city universities of New York, H.B.CU, so historically black colleges and universities. Um and how did you land at
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Sunni News um where you’re now about to graduate?
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So I nailed at Sunni new pulse. I had a lot of people, a lot of peers, mentors who went to new Paul’s and had benefited
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from it, you know, in journalism, psychology, teaching in various different fields. Um, at the time when I went to go select colleges, you know, CO
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was still, you know, prevalent, you know, so I wanted to stay close to home or whatnot and I wanted to, you know, be
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close enough where I could go, you know, back home or what not. You know, I’m only an hour and 30 from, you know, new, so that’s not, you know, bad commute.
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Um, so yeah, I just wanted to be able to just be close to home, somewhere I could go. And then, you know, seeing the
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environment around News, too. Like, I’m a big foodie. You know, they had a lot of good eeries, you know, a blend of like, you know, uh, like just different
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restaurants, different cultures, and, you know, it’s really artsy and a hippie-ish town, and, you know, I I I really like that vibe to it. So, yeah.
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Yeah, it sounds like a fun college town.
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Um, and in terms of programming and neurodeiversity, did accommodations and that kind of uh
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neurode divergent community factor into what you were looking for um in a college? Like did you have an IEP that you wanted to kind of carry over support
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from in high school? Just talk a little bit about that.
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Sure. I mean, at first it was I didn’t take account um to that like my accommodations or whatnot. um new does have the disability resource center
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which does you know support and affirm neurody divergent students and students with learning disabilities. So, I mean, I was definitely glad to
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have that, you know, have that, you know, system there when I wanted to, you know, say if I need extra time for a test or an exam or, you know, a separate testing location, you know, I was able
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to go with the DRC, but, you know, initially I was really just looking to do, you know, stuff within, you know, journalism and like film. So, I really
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didn’t look at that at first, at least not like, you know, first, but not a part of the college search, per se. Yeah. No, no.
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Got it. Okay. Um, and so when college started, did you move straight onto campus? Like you moved out
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at home or how’d that go? So I did move on to campus you know like I said like definitely it’s definitely you know commuting is just wa crazy you know you
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know even if you take the train or whatn not drive like so I definitely did stay on campus you know trying to get you know immersed in campus life and just
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you know to build you know social you know social skills just to get to know my peers and you know like as I said campus life I mean I really did
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appreciate I guess that that experience I still do and you know let me Yeah.
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Yeah. Uh, I mean it say sounds like you were spared a real logistical burden with commuting and there’s some like real benefits to being fully immersed in
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the town of Newaltz and the campus, right? Yes. Yeah.
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What about roommates? Did you have roommates?
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I did my uh my freshman year. Yes, I did. How’d that go?
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I mean, it was it was definitely, you know, a challenge obviously. I feel like for any, you know, freshman, you know, any, you know, one going to college, you
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know, it’s definitely like roommates, you know, on an issue, you know, just like setting those ground rules and stuff like that.
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Yeah. There’s just a lot of brand new stuff that you have to contend with when you’re moving out of out of a family
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home and in with peers your own age in a big building. Um, so I know now that you are an RA, how did you go from living in
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the dorms to being kind of a dorm guru um to for other students?
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So I I looked at, you know, spring semester when I came back from freshman year, I looked at the RA position and I wanted to, you know, I looked at it as
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something like that to to help me professionally develop to help me, you know, be a leader and a role model on campus. You know, echoing um I was in
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different programs. Um one the scholarship mentorship program which, you know, I had a mentor and I wanted to
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be a mentor on campus. So, I went, you know, threw my hand in the ring. I I wanted to apply to be an RA and I I I
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really enjoyed it. I mean, like, you know, I guess the pro I went through the process, you know, interviews, group process day, all that stuff. And yeah, I’m here now.
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Yeah. And did you feel like, you know, the issues that you had adjustment wise that first year helped you um when you
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became an RA? like how did you negotiate that and how did it help you kind of solve stuff for other people? I guess
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it definitely did improve my communication skills and like you know conflict resolution skills and mediation skills. You know as RAS we’re definitely trained in that and you know how people
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respond react to you know conflict or whatnot and how we you know as you know the mediators handle and the peacekeepers handle that conflict
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you know with room within roommates with different scenarios.
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So I would say that it helps improve my communication skills. Yeah, totally.
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Um, so are there particular challenges that you see neurody divergent students or even specifically autistic students
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having in the dorms uh in your experience as an RA?
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I would definitely say I guess you know communicating and like you know advocating and I know that it that’s definitely hard even for for me like you
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know even you know raising your hand in class or like you know speaking up and that that definitely is like you know hard to do because you know like maybe
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some one may not feel psychologically safe to do so or you know it’s just different like factors into account you know that like
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that you know reaction from you know your roommate or that you know person you’re you know talking to just you never know what may come about at least That’s what I’ve seen in my experience so far.
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Yeah. I also have seen some very real fear about people reacting poorly. Uh and by people I mean not the autistic
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people, the other people. Are there skills that you’ve seen that can help with that? Um now that you’re trying to help mediate some of those conflicts?
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Yeah, I mean I feel that like you know using you know between both both parties. I mean just like just using
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like you know certain language like I statements you know just like just generally like you know not like targeting antagonizing one another. I
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know one of my fellow colleagues um is doing an inservice and an inservice is just like you know professional development workshops to help RAS or
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whatnot. Um, so I mean he’s doing one of like you know communication and like you know of how to talk and you know with
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conflicts and stuff like that you know for like just helping people understand you know and um I I would say that
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that that that’s one thing also too like just understanding where like you know meeting each other where where you’re at you know um whether you’re a neurody
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divergent or neurotypical just to meet each other where you’re at like you know just to understand each other hear each other Yeah.
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Yeah. Um I think presumption of good intentions and kind of nonviolent communication centered on I statements
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are really helpful both in college and in relationships, you know, beyond the dorms. Uh so you’re a journalism major.
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You’ve also got two minors. So certainly you have plenty to work on. Um how did you make your way into journalism? Uh
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was that something you applied to college? knowing you wanted to study.
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So, originally I wanted to go into college studying computer science, but you know, math wasn’t math thing. Um, you know, I I really wasn’t, you know,
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the best like math student or like physics. It really, you know, Whoa.
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Yeah. Some of those required courses are really technical.
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Yeah. So, I really didn’t do the best at that. But, you know, I’ve always had a s strong sense and passion for writing.
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I’ve always loved to write poetry, you know, short stories, stuff like that. So I wanted to do journalism and also too I
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wanted to also do you know film film and video because I love like telling stories through like you know visually and you know I feel like film is a very
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powerful medium you know that makes people laugh you know that makes people think you know it’s it’s a very powerful medium.
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It moves people and it changes the culture in my experience.
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Exactly. Yeah. So I took that into account and I was like hey I want to enroll in here and use those like my you know my creative and artistic artistic
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skills. So yeah absolutely. What have some of your favorite courses been um either in journalism or uh you know outside in your minors?
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Sure. I mean, I would say um rap and spoken word, um
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digital storytelling, audio production, um TV studio production, media ethics.
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Yeah. And then kind of what I’m doing now, my capstone seminar, you know, tying all my skills together, you know, and making a big project. So, yeah.
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Yeah.
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And with major and double minors, how do you balance the academic demands? That’s a lot. Um, do you have any tips for
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students considering studying a lot at once?
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I I would definitely say like, you know, build build, you know, fi find, you know, find your, you know,
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your groove, you know, and I and I know that’s like easier said than done. Um, for me like you know whether that’s for me like plugging in like you know
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different things in my calendar like okay I have this you know at five o’clock or this at 10 in the morning like just just being able
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to to to to get you know bu you know um get into the groove of things you know so building a regimen building a
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schedule and I know sometimes that may be hard for ner divergent individuals even myself as well like you know just like finding okay what do I do first
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what’s the the most level and least level employers like what what to do and like my brain just sometimes get scatterbrain especially now with as a
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senior like you know finding like what to do and what to prioritize and I always did use the um the four-part
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prioritization matrix based on importance and soonness of the deadline and you focus on the stuff that’s both both important and then due very soon.
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Um, so your capstone project, you mentioned
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that you’re working on one right now and it’s tying a lot of things together. Um, can you tell us a little bit more about
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what your capstone project is, how it’s um, you know, involving neurodyivergent students and just curious here.
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Sure. So, it’s funny enough that like you know I’m on the podcast. So I um
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I am working on an article that talks about like the
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New York state of you know neurody diverent students in a higher education and how
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and how like you know like what what is being you know the the factors um in place the factors in place you know that that
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are you know encouraging this but also too what improvements higher education can make, you know, to be more, you know, level the playing field for
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Niverent students, you know, whether in, you know, accommodations, services, um, you know, more maybe more mental health, um, you know, prioritizations, just different things.
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Yes. Yes. Absolutely. How do we rise to meet this growing uh, group of students?
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Okay. And so what do you hope could change at Sunni
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as a result of a capstone project like this? Like what sort of changes on campus are you hoping to inspire by telling these stories?
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Yeah, I mean it’s it’s not just with Sunni. I’m sorry I should have clarified that earlier. I mean, it’s I’m looking at within the New York State, you know,
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things, but like I also want to look at other schools outside of New York State to see what models and stuff that we can adapt or, you know, try to, you know,
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maybe, you know, you know, replicate or whatnot. Um, I guess I’m hoping to like see,
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you know, that this can serve as an inspiration for students who are nerd divergent who like who won a role in higher education because, you know, back
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let’s say in the 2000s really it it you know the it’s neurody divergence has been historically uh misrepresented and
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underrepresented um and you know now like that’s like definitely changed. I mean yes you still have you know things that like you know
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with neurode divergence but it’s really being more like you know understood you know a reduced stigma
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um in some in some cases spaces but I mean I wanted this article to serve as an inspiration to you know
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yeah absolutely because I I will say you know back in the 2000s when I enrolled as a as a first year college student in
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2008 it was very much like people with disabilities are the subjects of our project to improve humanity, but they’re
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not really present on campus in any meaningful way. Like we are not them, they are not us. Um, obviously in hindsight that was really misguided. Um,
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but it it was indicative of the story that was being told at the time. Um I do wonder if there are formal training
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programs or inservices around neurodiversity and disability either for RAS or on campus in general that you’ve encountered.
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So I mean I know um in my research and doing this capstone that supporting diverse learners there has there was a
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um this is a new workshop um by the DRC that is um helping the campus community better you know um understand neurody
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divergence as well as how to help our fellow nur divergent students on campus you know with you know several things.
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That’s great. Um because you know I did some activity like that around LGBTQ plus and transin inclusion on campus and
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it’s good to hear that similar efforts are being made around neurode divergence. Um how has your neurody
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divergence been an asset um in your work as an RA or as a student journalist?
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I feel like it’s allowed me to tap into different communities un understand you know
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that you know my experience is shared with you know other experiences maybe not similar or not but you know the
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commonality in stories right to that it’s you know that I look at it as a strength you know I look at it as
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something that’s always been a part of me and I’m proud of it so yeah Um you’re also very active on
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campus uh including the scholars mentorship program. Uh you were mentored
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and now you are mentoring. Um so just talk to us about the role that mentorship has played for you as a student.
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I mean I would say that for me it’s allowed me to
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give back to students but as well as to build relationships to to see like okay like you know the similarities like
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the mentees that I was uh tasked with they you know had the same major as me journalism digital media so right up my
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alley and you know I was able to foster connection with them And um yeah.
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Yeah. No, I also uh was in a mentorship program here for my PhD. Um and there’s
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all sorts of great things about mentorship. I had a mentor that was in the field of education and um you know it really helped that structured social
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support early on really helped. Um I I wish that I had had the capacity to become a mentor like you actually. Um,
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you also are publishing your writing. I hear that you write everything from non-fiction to poetry. Um, and uh, you
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also write um, critical reviews on campus. How did you get involved with all of your very diverse achievements?
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So I joined the Farahari Libertad which is a literary magazine on our campus that chronicles the stories of
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underrepresented and marginalized students and I had actually you know we we based our magazine on a theme so some
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themes like on the were on the body were on like you know um like uh hidden
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truths you know stuff like that. So I wanted to, you know, I wanted to kind of pour my work into that, but also into,
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you know, kind of, you know, not fitting within those scenes, but kind of just expanding and like talking about different like, you know, music albums and reviews, um, food reviews and stuff like that.
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Trying to give variety to my work, but also too in like other work not associated with FAR, just like my poetry, just some articles that I’ve
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done, you know, from from classes, you know, in my free time and stuff like that.
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Yeah, absolutely. Okay. So, just representing sort of the multiplicity of of what you value and what what
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interests you and what you want to give to the world. Um, and you also are working I believe not one but two jobs.
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Yeah. So, on on campus um I I work um I’m an SRA. So, um I sit office hours
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and I also work at the gym where I’m, you know, a front desk worker and like I also work in the curves, you know, of the gym where like, you know, we have
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the different weight rooms and cardio rooms and stuff like that. Yeah. So, yeah.
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I mean, I I mean this with complete sincerity. Is there anything you don’t do? Like, are there things that you had to be like, I don’t have time for this
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or cuz it it really feels like you’ve done so much. Like, I wow.
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Yeah. Yeah. I mean, right now, like I I really have been really focused on a lot of independent projects, you know, like my podcast. I’m trying to do a men’s
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circle with some friends, you know, for the end of the semester.
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Um, so I’m just trying to focus my energy towards independent products where I’ve had to drop a few clubs or whatnot and just really focus my energy
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on, you know, trying to finish out senior year strong and yeah, developing your person your personal
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deep work rather than giving time to different organizations that might not need you makes a lot of sense. So, um,
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I’m assuming graduation is very soon, sometime this spring. college
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dates fairy. But what are you looking forward to? Are you career hunting? Thinking about grad school? Um, you know, what’s next?
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For me, I’m definitely I definitely am thinking about grad school. I I definitely I am thinking about grad
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school. I’m thinking about like maybe, you know, taking a breather, taking think thinking about maybe working.
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Highly recommend time off. Yeah. I mean, it’s a great way to get perspective.
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Yeah, because and I know a lot of people say, “Oh, like you should just go straight into it.” And that works for some people. I know like Yeah. I know.
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Like I don’t say that. Sorry.
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Yeah. Yeah. Oh, no. No. I know. Like I said, it varies. Some people say go do it when you go right back in because I guess like for some it is hard like,
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“Okay, I took this break off and uh now I got to go back to school.” But for me, I feel like I’m the type of person like I’ll lock in like I know I want to do
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something, I’ll do it. Um, so I I I just feel like for me just taking a break and like you know using that time like to
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you know work um I have a back at my summer job like just you know do that what I did in the summer and you know um you know continue to do that uh through
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the through the uh rest of the months and for me like just working on independent projects and really you know really getting more into film making at
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least that’s what I want to do um coming out of you know postgraduation post college at least or post undergrad um
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working on you know some you know film making some shorts or whatnot. So yeah.
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Yeah. Do you want to land in New York City? It sounds like with your arts and culture interests that would probably be a really cool spot.
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I mean it would I mean I’m I’m close to it. I mean you know at least you know I’m from Westchester so that’s really not far from you know the city. So
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Awesome. Do you know what types of graduate programs are you thinking? Like fine arts programs in in cinema or
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something different uh like a like a journalism?
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So I mean I definitely do want to keep that writing with me. I I I have like just a lot of like different
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things I want to I want to do and accomplish. But I definitely do want to keep that writing with me. I feel like for now I like as we were saying before film you know is a powerful medium. It
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shift it shifts cultures. It’s it’s it’s commentary like we saw you know the Oscars you know like you know the
25:09
25 minutes, 9 seconds
different movies sinners one bad after another Marty Supreme Hamnet like you know all these different films they have you know culture
25:17
25 minutes, 17 seconds
they have culture and meaning behind them you know and yeah so I mean I I really want to focus and devote my energy towards you know
25:26
25 minutes, 26 seconds
maybe an MFA and like film or like digital cinematography like something within like the film video production world.
25:33
25 minutes, 33 seconds
So, yeah, tell tell stories that change things for people, I think, is a really noble and
25:40
25 minutes, 40 seconds
beautiful goal. Um, do you have advice for other students? I mean, autistic or non-aututistic, I
25:49
25 minutes, 49 seconds
guess, because I think anybody can use a little friendly wisdom. Sure.
25:54
25 minutes, 54 seconds
I feel like whatever whatever you know you’re going through or whatn not don’t let your situation or your current
26:03
26 minutes, 3 seconds
status don’t let it define you don’t don’t let it define you that’s one that’s one piece of you know advice I have I also you know go for it
26:11
26 minutes, 11 seconds
whatever whatever you want like you know scholarship you know teaching the college scholarship or you know if you want to join a club or you know you want
26:20
26 minutes, 20 seconds
to put yourself out there go for it you know you’ll never you You never know.
26:24
26 minutes, 24 seconds
You’ll never know the end result if you don’t try. Um, you know, um, take the risk, guys. Take the risk. Yeah.
26:32
26 minutes, 32 seconds
Thank you so much for coming on the podcast. This was a really good conversation and I’m just inspired by your vision.
26:40
26 minutes, 40 seconds
Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it, Catherine. Of course. Our pleasure.