Emiliano Rivera

Immigrating from Colombia just seven months ago, Miami Palmetto Senior High freshman Emiliano Rivera has faced more challenges than the average middle schooler transitioning to high school. The move was especially hard for him, as he suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome, a disorder on the autism spectrum characterized by significant social interaction limitations. To cope with the drastic change of moving 1,500 miles away — in addition to the challenges associated with Asperger’s — Rivera found a safe haven in art.

Rivera and his family left Colombia and came to Miami looking for safety and stability. Starting from scratch in a new environment, Emiliano faced new challenges such as overcoming the language barrier, adapting to a new community and building a social network from the ground up. “Here we have way less family. I only have family from my mother’s side, which is my aunt and my cousins. I live here with only my mother and my sister,” Rivera said.

According to Autism Speaks Inc., people on the autism spectrum often like having routines and rituals because they come naturally to them. Rivera went through a major lifestyle change and left behind not only his family, but his friends and his routine, too. The school system runs completely different in the United States than in Colombia.

Art on the specTrum

In Emiliano’s old school, he stayed in a classroom with the same teacher and classmates for the entire school year, which contrasts Palmetto’s six period schedule with different students in every class.

“Being in one classroom, I always saw the same people, and it was easier to make true, long-lasting friendships. At Palmetto, I use art as a way of making friends; I either draw their portrait or Pokémon,” Rivera said.

Asperger’s mainly affects Rivera’s social skills and makes it difficult for him to understand social cues.

“It has been a very rough change for Emiliano; so what he does to cope is to find refuge in his drawings,” Rivera’s mother, Erica Agudelo, said.

Being a highly visual thinker, Rivera found it difficult to communicate his feelings with words, so he began drawing them instead. His journey with art has been long and meaningful, and his art has grown with him.

“I have been self-taught since I was in 6th grade and I mainly draw anime and manga. I have even submitted my art to a few competitions through a magazine called the Game Informer,” Rivera said. “One of the pieces I submitted was of 7th generation Pokémon in their distinctive poses. I used to practice archery, so I really relate to the character in the upper left hand corner. Basically, drawing helps me express myself since I can funnel all my emotions into them without having to open my mouth.”

For Rivera, change of such magnitude can have an even larger impact because of how his perception of the world shapes his understanding of complicated situations.

“His autism is functional; he can do everything, but he cannot empathize with his peers in the way in which he talks and he expresses himself,” Agudelo said. “His condition is defined as a way of seeing

the world without filters. For Emiliano, it’s either black or white… He sees things as they are and not how we would like to see.”

Rivera must put in lots of effort to maintain conversations and understand others’ facial expressions and body language. That being said, he does not seek any superficial friendships; rather, genuine connections with people that will add value to his life.

“In terms of social interaction, I think he’s trying to see who really is authentic,” English for Students of Other Languages teacher Maria Sanin said. “He likes to make sure that who he is interacting with is somebody who’s going to value his opinion.”

Rivera has made long strides in the right direction thus far and continues to surprise people every day with his newfound skills. A few weeks ago, he came out of his shell in class and empathized with an upset girl in his class.

“I had a student in a crisis, and she was sitting with me as I was wrapping up class. As I’m talking to her, unbeknownst that he is even listening, she tells me how she feels alone and is so happy that she at least has me to talk to,” Sanin said. “Out of the blue, Emiliano said, ‘I know exactly how you feel,’ and the two bonded over their similar experiences. [Asperger’s] makes social interactions much more difficult and for Emiliano to empathize with her and create a friendship with her was beyond impressive.”

Recently, Rivera has discovered the Netflix original show “Atypical,” which portrays a teenage boy on the autism spectrum as he experiences life changes. The show has helped him adapt to life in Miami as the show’s protagonist, Sam, struggles to transition from high school to college, which parallels Rivera’s situation. “The show puts someone like me on the screen, and we usually don’t get that much representation [on TV], so I thought that was pretty cool,” Rivera said. “I actually identify with Sam’s best friend, because he is of Arab descent, and we have that in common.”

Rivera has also dabbled in graphic design. His latest project combines his two favorite pastimes: Pokémon and videogames. Alongside some friends from back home, Rivera has started to create a video game with Pokémon set in Colombia.

“So far we have all of the characters and plot line ready [for the video game] and all I need is a tablet to complete it,” Rivera said. “My goal is to become an illustrator for a videogames company where I can design my own characters. I’ve done it in an empirical way, and I want to go to a college where I can improve and learn new techniques and new tools to achieve that goal.”

Living in this day and age, one can learn from Rivera and try to look at the world through his eyes. His sense of wonder and curiosity, while staying away from negativity, brings out the best in people. “Emiliano, in essence, is the purity that the world needs, and I don’t just mean Emiliano but all the kids with Asperger’s. He has the ability to always see the world through the eyes of a kid and goes through life without any intent to harm anyone,” Agudelo said. “He goes with the interest of putting that piece of creativity that he has and putting it at the service of everyone else. His only impediment is not always knowing how and art has greatly aided him in his self-expression.”

Kristine Villarroel Life Editor k.villarroel.thepanther@gmail.com DESIGN BY CAMILLA BONDY Kate Stuzin Copy Editor k.stuzin.thepanther@gmail.com