Most people struggle to find hobbies, and once they do find them, they are given the new struggle of managing them in addition to everyday life.

Freshman Addison Casey is not one of those people.

Casey is not afraid to try new things, far from it actually. She wants to try her hand at everything she can while continuing to excel in the hobbies she is already passionate about.

Right now, those hobbies include: crochet, knitting, cd collecting, cd burning, birdwatching, drawing and making press on nails. 

But how does she engage with so many different things without getting bored? Especially with how repetitive things like crochet and birdwatching can be.

Well, it relates to her being neurodivergent.

“I tend to get very passionate about my interests in very short periods of time due to my autism. It also makes it hard to talk or think about anything if I really want to engage in it,” Casey said.

Before things get confused, she doesn’t have so many interests because she’s autistic, that’s just who she is as a person. It’s the intensity of those interests that is affected by autism.

Casey has always been driven to have hobbies and to learn new ones. Even her mother, Rebecca, recalls this passion for new things always being there. 

“Since she was little, she has always shown an interest in artsy type activities.Collecting things and learning and teaching herself new things. We always just embraced it, and it has turned into what it is today,” Rebecca said.

Addison’s family has always sought to support her passion for trying new things, whether that means buying supplies for a new hobby or encouraging her to dive head first into the unfamiliar. 

Though her family aren’t her only supporters, her friends are also there for her in their own important ways. For example, one of her closest friends is freshman Abigail Martinez.

“I think it’s really great she has so many things she enjoys to do, and I support her by giving her more ideas and, of course, complimenting her,” Martinez said.

The love and support that she has been given is worth more than anything to Casey, and allows her the courage to continue starting new projects and hobbies.

From here, she plans to learn multiple instruments, start knitting with natural fibers and diving deeper into poetry and writing