Raising a child with autism can be daunting, surrounded in mystery and misconceptions. One Arkansas autistic student is breaking down barriers and proving that he can and will prove people wrong about his capabilities. Nicholas Watson has graduated valedictorian of his school with the highest GPA ever!
“Overall, I’m just grateful to have an opportunity to be where I am right now because I wasn’t ever meant to be here,” Watson told ArkLaTex in a recent interview. “Besides autism and ADHD, they said I wasn’t ever going to comprehend, read, math all of that. No matter what circumstance or whoever defines you. You’re the one who defines yourself.”
Watson not only graduated against all odds, he did so with a 4.8 GPA, which is the highest ever in his school’s history. As a result, the young scholar has been accepted to 45 different colleges and universities and awarded more than $1.5 million in scholarship offers.
“No matter what limitations or restrictions that you have been giving, conditions or anything that tries to hinder you just try to overachieve that and go to a goal that you want to achieve.”
Yet, that is not all that this amazing young man has accomplished. In addition to his academic success, Watson is also an outstanding athlete, showing off his skills in a number of sports that include soccer, cross country, track, and basketball.
And of course, like any mother would be, Marian Watson is extremely proud of her son.
“So I don’t even know if I would say obstacles because whatever you ask of him he just did it,” Marian said in the same interview.
Where has Watson chosen to continue his education? Well, the talented young scholar has chosen to attend college at Harding University on a basketball scholarship. In addition to his own studies and such, he will also coach youth basketball.
Watson will start off his freshman year already with 64 college credits, as he plans to major in Electric Engineering. One day, he hopes to make electronic devices and go to Google and Tesla.
And we have no doubt that he won’t accomplish that and much more!
