I got unusually personal with it today, talking about neurodivergence, early academic success, then isolation it can cause, and how I’ve learned to more fully embrace my gifts.

¡Hola! You know, I’ve been reflecting on my earlier life recently. It’s something I haven’t done much. To be honest, I think I have a certain level of residual fear related to reflecting on earlier versions of myself. I had a happy life as a youngster, but I’ve always felt… “different.” Now, I understand that the best way to more aptly describe me would be “neurodivergent.”

Part of this “divergence” of my “neuro” is that I was born with the ability to learn things really, really easily. This quickly floated me to the top of all my classes in elementary school. I hardly remember anything from my first few years of elementary school, but I recall that in Kindergarten I got the highest score of all the students in my grade on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.

I knew how to read by the time I got to kindergarten due to my dad reading with me at an early age. Though most of my memories are shrouded in the mists of time, I remember the day that it clicked. We were sitting in my bed in my room with a copy of Highlights magazine. There was a comic called Goofus and Gallant. My dad read it to me and then, somehow, I was able to associate the words on the page with what he was reading. I read the whole thing back to him and he couldn’t believe it. My dad was so proud of me, and in my excitement I remember hiding under my colorful polka dot sheets. It was all downhill from there.

You might think I’m pretty lucky to be born such a gifted person. I am so grateful now, but it hasn’t always been as great as you might think. When you are constantly among the top performers in your class, you can attract jealousy from your classmates. Sometimes it doesn’t feel good to be so successful all the time because it can start to isolate you. There are times I have had to “tone it down” so I don’t intimidate or annoy others with my knowledge—even, at times, with my own family. I have deep country roots on my mom’s side of the family, so I’m among the most highly educated. I’ve found that some country folks have a certain level of resentment for you if you’re a “city boy.” It’s a bummer to feel like you’re too smart for your own good.

That’s how I felt then, though, not now. I think there’s a reason I was given these gifts; it’s just taken me some time to figure out how to use them. But use them, I will! This is a critical point in the history of our country and, indeed, the world. I’m looking for ways to use my unique, powerful voice to be the change I want to see in the world. I’m not sure what that will look like yet, but I figure if I write long enough, eventually a valuable idea or two is bound to come tumbling out of my beautifully, neurally diverged noggin. Be safe out there, y’all. NO KINGS IN AMERICA! 🚫👑🙅‍♂️

-Jared Caraway​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​