13: ADHD, MIT, Becoming Best Friends with Your Brain

In this episode of the Square Pegs podcast, we are joined by Autumn Deitrick, an engineering education doctoral student at The Pennsylvania State University. At the time of recording, she was finishing her master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and entering the doctoral program at Penn State.

Autumn discusses her experiences throughout her K-12, undergraduate, and graduate education, through the lens of a recent ADHD diagnosis. With an emphasis on “Becoming Best Friends with [her] Brain,” Autumn discusses some strategies that have been helpful for her while navigating the educational system as a neurodiverse student. She also shares her insights on the engineering field, how she became involved with civil and environmental engineering, and why she is stepping into education in this field.

She finishes by giving advice to her younger self, which listeners may find applicable to their own lives. Join us as we explore with Autumn how she navigates the intricacies of the educational system as a neurodiverse student and and how she leans into the idea of self-acceptance.

Watch Autumn’s talk here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFxKGHjduCg⁠

Square Pegs is a series of intimate conversations about navigating life and learning within the neurodiverse community, hosted by Dr. Arash Zaghi, Professor at the University of Connecticut School of Engineering. In each episode, we talk to neurodiverse students and experts in the field of neurodiversity. 

Send feedback about Square Pegs to ⁠[e-mail]⁠ or find us at squarepegspodcast.com.

00:37 Autumn's intro, finishing her master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering at MIT and entering an engineering education PhD program at Penn State. 

3:04 Autumn’s TedTalk “Becoming Best Friends with my Brain and How You Can Too.” 

6:48 Mindset shifts and the importance of a growth mindset.

10:50 Exercise, mindfulness, long walks, and taking breaks.

23:29 What is productivity? How often do we use pseudo-productivity to combat anxiety rather than taking breaks that allow us to be fully present at work? 

29:40 Anxiety regarding exams in undergraduate education, the importance of self-advocacy, and the provision of accommodations.

35:20 Self-acceptance and becoming friends with your brain, treating yourself as you would a friend, and loving the way your brain works.  

37:50 How and why students may enter the engineering field, the rigidity of the field, and the delusion or intentional lying surrounding the “creativity” of the field.

46:46 The transition to engineering education.

52:23 Receiving a diagnosis and how this may help in understanding oneself.

1:02:42 What advice would you give your younger self?