SPLAT: The Official Newsletter of the Ateneo Special Education Society Sept. 2013 | Page 10

EXCLUSIVE

PIECE OF ME
By Gerard Atienza
It has always been such an honor for me when I am asked to speak before students and others about my experience. Just recently, I had been invited by the Ateneo SPEED to speak before them at SOAR (SPEED Orientation on Area and Responsibilities) and their Executive Vice President, Johnet Lopez, confided to me that it has been a first for someone with special needs to speak before them and share their experiences with the members of the organization. what I am. Here we go. I am a graphic artist, a schoolteacher, a writer, an event planner, a volunteer, and an autistic self-advocate. I am the second of four siblings; my dad is an OFW in Saudi Arabia, and my mom works as an official at the Department of Education. I graduated at the De La Salle University-Dasmariñas with a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism, and am currently taking up my Certificate in Teaching Program (CTP) at the Philippine Normal Univer But I felt that there is a sity (PNU) so I can be a licensed part of me that I have teacher. not shared much with them, so I had worked in the busiI’ll take this as an opportunity to tell you more about who and ness process outsourcing (BPO)

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