The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch

The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch

The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch

Passion becomes career for 2010 GBN graduate

Alumnus Scott Adsit (center) performs in the 1983 Glenbrook Musical “Cat Among the Pigeons.”Adsit participated in a number of other GBN productions including “West Side Story” and “The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail.”

As a high school student, alumnus James Williams (‘10) admits to having the attendance record of Ferris Bueller.

Unlike the character he compares himself to, Williams spent his time away from Glenbrook North High School speaking at autism conventions about his own experiences coping with the disability. Williams has been sharing his insight at autism conventions since he was 11 years old. After graduating from GBN, speaking at conventions and writing  children’s books have become his career.

Williams believes that the evolution of his speeches can be partially attributed to his experiences at GBN.

“One of the things that has changed [in my speeches] is when I was 11 [years old] my speaking was what … child development theorists would call egocentric. I really talked about myself and assumed,  at that time, that my experience of autism was the one experience of autism,” said Williams. “As I grew older … I got to realize other people experienced autism differently and therefore I decided to include … and talk about those differences.”

Williams says he valued his experience as a peer mentor at GBN, which allowed him to work with students with varying disabilities. He believes that although his disability may be less obvious, he is still able to empathise with the TLS students.

“Peer mentoring, to me, was just a natural thing I would do at Glenbrook North,” said Williams. “I wanted to do something to help other students with disabilities.”

Kimberly Fisher, Teaching for Life Skills teacher, worked with Williams during his time as a peer mentor.

“Once he came in and peer mentored, he basically never left,” Fisher said.

According to Fisher, Williams was able to form strong connections with many of his disabled peers through his patience and devotion to the students he mentored.

“I’m a firm believer that probably one of the biggest things that many students need [is] friendship,” said Williams. “Just because a person is disabled does not mean that they do not want friends.”

Williams says he also learned the value of sportsmanship at GBN.

“Anyone who’s in the drama department or does theater knows that in order to get into one of [drama teacher]  Ms. [Julie Ann] Robinson’s plays, you  audition,” said Williams. “There is an identical audition process to present at a convention.”

Williams said that he often attends conventions he was not chosen to speak at, much like he continued to support plays he was not cast in at GBN.

Williams continues to support the peer mentoring program, the drama department and GBN athletics because of the friend and mentor connections he still has at the school, he said.

According to Fisher, when Williams visits the peer mentoring classroom,  he is always willing to share his story with other peer mentors.

“[Peer mentors] are very impressed that he doesn’t let his disability hold him back and that he advocates on behalf of those who have disabilities,” Fisher said.