Calhoun Alum Creates Annual Scholarship To Support Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder
May 31, 2023
Calhoun Community College alum Holly Foshee worked with the college’s foundation team to create a new annual scholarship that will help ease some of the financial burden for Calhoun students living with autism spectrum disorder.
“Being autistic almost crippled me from living a regular life,” recalls Foshee as she spoke with foundation and college officials about her personal story. “I never thought I was excelling as a normal human being until my diagnosis”.
Her college journey at Calhoun began in the spring of 1994 when she enrolled in a few classes, one being chemistry as the goal was to take a few courses at Calhoun and then later transfer to The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). Having a past history of struggling with standardized tests in high school, she remembered how patient the instructors were with her at Calhoun making the transition into college testing somewhat a breeze. She was provided the opportunity to figure out calculus equations in a way that was comfortable with her learning style during coursework and tests resulting in her making A’s. Upon obtaining her associate’s degree in computer science at Calhoun, she became confident and went on to complete her bachelor’s degree in computer science at Athens State University.
“A break was what I needed. I was burnt out and overwhelmed both physically and mentally with navigating through college,” says Foshee. Her brother had taken a similar break while in college and it helped him. As she felt she was so much like him, she thought a break would help her too. During the break, she decided to work, which was a challenge. She found herself being fired from every job she had for having various autistic traits, with one huge red flag being constantly disengaged. At this point, Foshee explains she felt like a failure in life as she was unable to hold down a steady job, thus causing her to become homeless and down on her luck. So she felt enrolling back into college was the answer.
Back to where she felt comfortable, she enrolled at Calhoun in 2004 and took a few courses that would help her obtain a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at UAH, which she later earned in 2011. Still in between jobs as well as being homeless, Foshee immediately enrolled back into UAH to earn her master’s degree in mechanical engineering with a concentration in biomechanics. Six years later, she earned her degree in 2017, but the excitement of finally obtaining that degree after such a long journey, suddenly turned dim and Foshee knew she really needed to seek answers that would solve the mystery of why she thought and felt differently than others.
“There were times I had many thoughts such as why I existed or what I needed to survive day to day,” Foshee says. “Those daunting questions I needed answers to and quick. Struggling to feel comfortable enough to share with people that I was homeless while in college made my life very, very difficult,” she adds.
Things began to look up for her as she became gainfully employed with a full-time job. One day, her employer asked to have a conversation with her, which made her nervous as she thought she was on the verge of being fired as she had been from every other company where she worked. This time, the conversation was different. It was one of both genuine concern and compassion about her work habits. That conversation along with the many other life events and challenges encouraged her to get tested for being autistic. In 2017 she received a confirmed diagnosis as well as the appropriate paperwork to provide to her employer.
“I needed that diagnosis not only to ensure I would receive the accommodations I needed as an autistic person to excel in my job but for my own inner peace. And on the day of my diagnosis, that is what I received,” she said smiling. She currently speaks at various organizations, including her current employer, to educate and spread awareness to individuals about autism and those who may be on the job or in the classroom living with it.
Foshee believes that many individuals struggling with autism may not understand what types of financial aid are available to help them obtain their college degree, and doesn’t want them to go through what she did financially, which is why she decided to create the scholarship.
“I was so determined to create this scholarship that I sold many of my personal belongings and received help from a few other individuals living with autism who believed in my mission and wanted to help me come up with the first $1,000 dollars to begin the annual scholarship. In order for this scholarship to accomplish the goal of helping autistic individuals who won’t qualify for academic scholarships that require a certain ACT or GPA, we need business leaders and individuals in the community to help contribute. This scholarship could be someone’s lifeline to not give up on their dreams of graduating from college,” Foshee adds.
To learn more about the Huntsville Autistic Adults Annual Scholarship, or how you can contribute online, visit www.calhoun.edu/give and include the scholarship in the box for program. You may also contact the Calhoun College Foundation Office directly at 256-713-4823. All donations are tax-deductible.
