Meet the beautiful and charismatic Marisol Amezaga, Hope For Three’s November Autism All-Star. Marisol is 15 years old and a sophomore at George Bush High School, currently participating in online learning. Marisol has a photographic memory, and her favorite subjects include math, art, and gym. She is a member of the Best Buddies Club at her school. The Best Buddies Club is dedicated to establishing a volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Marisol is described by her Best Buddy as energetic, heartwarming, and always happy with contagious laughter.
Marisol lives with her father, Gustavo, and older sister Miranda. She and her family are extremely close and are always supportive of one another. The family has lived in Fort Bend since 2009 and has been actively involved with Hope For Three since its inception. Gustavo is an active volunteer, as is Miranda, who participates with H43 Teen Huddle. The family loves to take trips together. Miranda and Marisol have a deep bond and enjoy spending time together doing crafts and various other activities such as carving pumpkins, putting together puzzles, cuddling, playing video games like Mario Cart, or watching movies. Marisol loves to collect and watch movies and has a massive collection that most would be envious of! However, her favorite movies are Shrek, Barbie, The Wiggles, and Barney. She also enjoys drawing and painting flowers or rainbows.
Marisol was diagnosed on the spectrum at the age of two. She has grown tremendously through therapies and her involvement with Hope For Three. She participated in three years of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) Therapy at Texana. There she learned right from wrong, how to follow the rules, and how to communicate more effectively. Her family incorporated the same rules at home and followed them for consistency. Marisol is continually improving and progressing and is now able to express her wants and needs. She has grown into a mature and responsible young lady who has become increasingly helpful at home. She is also very independent and is interested in attending college after graduation.
Autism allows us to see the uniqueness of each child. When Marisol wants to do something or learn something, she is dedicated and persistent. She will try over and over until she can do it. She is always inspiring those around her to be happy, laughing, live life to the fullest, and never give up. This is what makes Marisol an Autism All-Star.