08 FRESHMEN
emiliano Rivera Immigrating from Colombia just seven months ago, Miami Palmetto Senior High freshman Emiliano Rivera has faced more challenges than the average middle schooler transitioning to high school. The move was especially hard for him, as he suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome, a disorder on the autism spectrum characterized by significant social interaction limitations. To cope with the drastic change of moving 1,500 miles away — in addition to the challenges associated with Asperger’s — Rivera found a safe haven in art. Rivera and his family left Colombia and came to Miami looking for safety and stability. Starting from scratch in a new environment, Emiliano faced new challenges such as overcoming the language barrier, adapting to a new community and building a social network from the ground up. “Here we have way less family. I only have family from my mother’s side, which is my aunt and my cousins. I live here with only my mother and my sister,” Rivera said. According to Autism Speaks Inc., people on the autism spectrum often like having routines and rituals because they come naturally to them. Rivera went through a major lifestyle change and left behind not only his family, but his friends and his routine, too. The school system runs completely different in the United States than in Colombia.
