I met Joe freshman year in English class. When the teacher told us to say our names, everyone said, “Hi. My name is ….” But he stood up and said, “I’m Joe from Idaho.” And that is what we called him: Joe from Idaho.

He sat next to me in the front of the classroom. The teacher asked me to help Joe from Idaho if he had any questions and to walk him to his next class. By helping him, I learned that Joe was a talkative, intelligent, and funny guy. I did not realize my new friend was autistic until we had to give a speech about ourselves.

Joe was the first to stand in front of the class and give his speech. He started, “Hi, my name is Joe, and I am autistic.” He went on to talk about how autism affects him, his life in Idaho, why he moved to Wisconsin, and about his family and friends.

After his speech, I thought about how Joe sometimes stuttered, how he would stand up and start walking back and forth for no apparent reason, and how he always had colorful Crayola craft foam to play with. These things made Joe different, but I had never thought of him as different. I just thought of him as my new friend.

After his speech, he sat down and let out a sigh of relief, then turned to me and said, “How’d I do?”

I replied, “That was great, Joe.”

Two days later, Joe received his grade. He got a 100 percent and was literally jumping with joy.

Because of his honesty, Joe gave me the courage to tell the class about my dyslexia. After my speech, I sat down, and Joe said, “Thank you for not being normal too.”

I couldn’t help but smile. And I have been friends with Joe ever since.