By Julio Rodriguez
X
avier Alston loves to act, as his friends in the Southwestern College theater arts program will attest.
For years, however, Xavier had to try to act happy even when he wasn’t.
That is particularly difficult for someone on the autism spectrum.
At the age of four, Xavier was diagnosed with a type of autism that severely hindered his social skills and caused a long delay in his speech.
“He was just making utterances and sounds if he wanted something,” said his father, SC Professor of Finance Kevin LaVaughn Alston.
Xavier’s parents never gave up on him and he never gave up on himself. Today he is a 26-year-old Southwestern grad with a transfer degree in theater and a ticket to SDSU. Cum laude to boot.
He said he hopes to become the next Will Smith, minus the slap.
Xavier was born in Tokyo in 1997, but his family soon decided to move back to the United States due to the lack of support for Special Needs children in Japan. At age 6 he was written off by a school psychologist who told his parents Xavier would never speak complete sentences.
Xavier and his family battled the American public school system from the start. He faced abuse and neglect in elementary school, including schools in Chula Vista. Once when his mother went to visit Xavier’s school she found him strapped to a chair, alone in a room. A former teacher physically abuse him by pinching him out of frustration. Bullies on the playground were a mocking constant.
“We had to put that in check,” Alston said. “We had to be behind the scenes and always be watching. We had to sue the school district because they were breaking the law.”
Xavier’s ever-supportive family pushed him toward academic successes despite his autism. Besides his professor dad, his mother owns two preschools in Chula Vista and his younger sister earned a Master’s degree from SDSU. Xavier said he is glad to join his family of degree holders.
“I feel relaxed that I graduated from somewhere,” he said. “ No drama. No drama for my momma.”
Alston said Xavier received academic support at Southwestern College and the San Diego Regional Center, a county agency dedicated to helping Special Needs students and young adults with tutoring and life coaching. He would spend three days a week with his coach, Alexis, working on homework and memorizing lines for plays he performed in. He frequented the SC Academic Success Center and the ADA Center. Some professors worked very hard to help him, said Alston.
“They went above and beyond,” Alston said. “If he didn’t do well in class (professors allowed him to) retake tests during my office hours.”
Alston singled out two instructors who made sure Xavier was successful in their classes. Geometry Professor Samuel Cortez encouraged Xavier to try hard in his class. He finished with a B. Gary Young came to Alston’s office to work one-on-one with Xavier, who earned an A in two of his classes.
Above all else Xavier said he wants to feel normal. Acting helps him. When he is on stage, he said, he is able to express himself.
“ I like acting!” he said. “It’s fun to do filming, to act angry, happy and sad.”
While acting his autism disappears into his character. Sometimes it was challenging and he would forget his lines or break character on stage like other actors. Last year he was cast in the production of “The Diary of Anne Frank” as a Nazi soldier and got distracted when he saw his father in the audience.
“When my dad saw my face I tried to look angry,” he said.
“He fell out of character,” his dad recalled. “He was like, “Hi dad!” (I was thinking) Dude, don’t smile, you’re a Nazi!”
Xavier has more goals, like learning to drive a car and earning a Bachelor’s degree in Theater Arts from SDSU.
All the world is his stage.
Xavier Alston Photos Courtesy of Xavier Alston
