As I saw the photos from the shoot, I thought, that’s his brother’s pose…Markus has always been his defender- he won’t allow people to treat Nick differently.” “Nick didn’t realize he was different until high school. Girls were attracted to him and he went on dates. He eventually wants his own place, a wife. He’s attending college classes, studying production, has a job and is taking driver’s education and excited to the take the test.”
I asked his mother what she has learned as a parent of an autistic child. She says, “Your child doesn’t have to sit at home and as a parent, you can create avenues for them to soar. As a parent you don’t have to stop dreaming. The Bible says when we tap into our gift…God makes room for it.” When I asked Regina what surprised her most about Nick, she said “The most amazing thing is, he’ll be the first kid to go straight through and get his college degree. He’s blessed with the gift of being autistic, and he is able to see past the things we see and see into the hearts of people. They are very genuine.” “Nick is not an autistic model, he’s a model who happens to be autistic.”
When Nick started expressing an interest in modeling, a family friend and professional model, Natalie Barnaby offered to coach him and organize a photoshoot. Under her direction, Nick has since begun actively seeking out modeling assignments.
One of Nick’s inspirations is his cousin, Jonathan Daviss, a 19-year-old actor, who five months ago was cast in a Netflix original drama series called ‘Outer Banks.’ I talked with Jonathan after a day of filming to ask him a few questions about Nick. He says the two grew up as self-proclaimed, “super-nerds,” who spent time watching movies like Star Wars. They share fond memories of traveling with Nick’s father to Mississippi and Alabama in the summers. They were the best of friends, and still maintain that relationship today. Jonathan remembers watching the 2003 Peter Pan film and being intrigued about a future in acting, while Nick enjoyed operating a camera, making videos, always creating, drawing and expressing his artistic skills. Jonathan says “I’m so proud of him. It’s amazing to see how in the past people have told him he can’t do things and have underestimated him, and I know he can do anything. He’s one of the hardest workers you’ll ever know. Nick has never seen himself as disadvantaged. I grew up looking up to him and believing I could do whatever he could do. Now, I still look up to him, and I know anything I can do, he can do too.” I asked Jonathan how he thought Nick might react to the rejection that comes with modeling. He responded, “Nick has already gone through people treating him like he’s not the same. He is prepared. He has a supportive family and I’m always here for him. He’s a great fit for the modeling world. He is charming, has a great personality and is already working with an agent. He can do anything.”
I finally had a chance to sit with Nick and talk to him about the road he’s traveled and his dreams and aspirations for the future. It doesn’t take me long to learn that Nick is a storyteller. His smile, laugh and personality draw you into the conversation. Nick says he remembers being eighteen years old when his mother told him he had autism. He says, “my first thought was, “why am I not in a wheelchair? What does that mean?” He says, “I realize sometimes I may act weird and people will give me a look like, “what’s going on?” but I don’t worry about what other people think.”
Nick says a dream motivated him to pursue a future in the entertainment and modeling industries. He saw himself back in California one day in a big house on a mountain side. When the opportunity arose to prepare for acting and modeling, he began lifting weights and taking better care of himself. Tell me about your choice of hairstyle, I say. He smiles and gestures upward and says his unruly hair is, “the root of all evil,” and even cut it all off back in 2013. He has since let it grow and the hairstyle now adds to his already unique and modern look. Nick enjoys movies and music, especially a few rock albums his dad introduced him to. He grins when he explains his mother does not particularly care for the music. He says he probably hangs out the most with his father and also enjoys family time and the laughs he shares with his co-workers. Long gone are the days of being bullied in the hallways of his high school. He says he was excited and a little nervous on his recent photo shoot, but he took it seriously and did his best. This college student and model is excited and equipped for the next opportunity to take the limits off his own life and prove the nay-sayers wrong.
I concluded my conversation with Nick by asking him what he most wanted people to know about him. He said, “I want people to know that first and foremost, I’m a person.”