Success is Subjective: Helping parents of college students accept that dropping out is okay

Episode 49 — It’s Okay to Crash Your Way to Success —with Jared Stewart

February 16, 2021 Joanna Lilley, MA, NCC Season 1 Episode 49
Success is Subjective: Helping parents of college students accept that dropping out is okay
Episode 49 — It’s Okay to Crash Your Way to Success —with Jared Stewart
Show Notes

Just because the idea of success seems ‘perfect’, the road there might not be, and that’s okay!

Jared Stewart, Program Director for Provo, Utah’s Scenic View Academy and adjunct professor at Utah Valley University, had his fair share of crashes on his way to success but that didn’t stop him. From navigating a learning disability that he was unaware of through college and navigating college alone and lost. It wasn’t until Jared began his work with people in adversity when he discovered he himself had autism. Jared’s diagnosis only increased his passion for the subject and he now gets to share his own personal story as encouragement for others dealing with their diagnosis.

On this episode of Success is Subjective, Jared joins Joanna to share his journey going from a high school dropout to a college graduate who has spent almost two decades working with autistic adolescents and adults. No matter how many crashes he found himself in, Jared managed to come out with a story that he now uses as a light for people in similar situations. Listen in for Jared’s insight on how there is untapped greatness in everyone, regardless of their so-called “disabilities”.

What You Will Learn

  • Growing up in Kodiak Island in Alaska
  • Not knowing anyone who had gone to college
  • How you must wear a (metaphorical) helmet for all that crashes that exist in life! 
  • Dealing with learning disabilities in school 
  • How Jared landed in Utah for college
  • How being a 6-year college student is more common than we talk about 
  • How the weight of academic stress can crush a young person, especially if they’ve been non-stop forever  
  • For those with and Autism diagnosis, often thinking is an “all or nothing
  • We talked through how life has some serious ups and downs!  His mantra was “just keep adjusting!”
  • How Jared got started at Utah’s Scenic View Academy and has now been there for 20 years
  • When Jared realized he has Autism and how important it was to share that story with the clients he works with to encourage them in their journey
  • The class that Jared teaches called Life is Not a Label
  • Life is just filled with data points! Life isn’t a linear line from A to B 

Connect with Jared Stewart

  • Jared Stewart of ScenicView Academy in Provo, Utah. 
  • Contact information: email jareds@svacademy.org

Connect with Joanna Lilley