When I was 12, someone told me, “David, you want to be a scientist—maybe you can find a cure for autism.” I said, “Why would I do that? Autism isn’t a disease. It’s who I am. A ‘cure’ would erase my smartness, my love for marine life and science. Autistic people just see the world differently.”

I’m the oldest of three boys and never felt like I quite fit in. Everything seemed harder for me, and life often felt like one long ABA session. But I always loved marine life. My mom embraced that passion—at one point I had three freshwater aquariums, and she took me to every aquarium, marine camp, and of course SeaWorld.

School was especially tough. From kindergarten through fifth grade, I was bullied, misunderstood, and seen as “weird.” Eventually my mom homeschooled me through a charter program, and I thrived. For the first time I felt like I belonged, even though making friends was still hard because few people understood how I saw the world.

For most of my life, I planned to become a marine biologist so I could help protect oceans and endangered animals. But in my junior year of high school, I fell in love with photography—thanks to one of the best teachers I’ve ever had, Mr. Stewart. I’d always viewed the world differently, whether underwater or on hikes with my mom, but he showed me how that perspective could impact others. By my second year of college, I decided to change my major from marine biology to photography, and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

“Their strength is our future, their growth brightens our future, their insights help us grow. Our world is a better place because of their differences. We should always respect differences, for without any differences there wouldn’t be any uniqueness in the world.”

-David Shively