Hugh M.

At IOB's first in-person Sandbox@ workshop in February 2022, an energetic and beaming student proudly walked into the room and was ready for the adventure that awaited him. He was focused, excited to create, and used the opportunity to get to meet a few new faces.

You'd never know that Hugh is a new IOB student and just enrolled in our Foundation Workshop over the winter. He's very creative and confidently shares his ideas and talents with his peers. On this particular Saturday, Sandbox@ was the second IOB program of the day for him. And when his mom, dad, and sister joined in on the workshop, he was confused to see them because "this is for people with autism."

Hugh loves that IOB is a place for him and for others like him. He feels comfortable and truly enjoys being a part of this special community.

Liz and Vince, Hugh's parents, couldn't agree more. Their favorite part about IOB is seeing their son in an environment that supports his skills, passions, and lets him shine. "Hugh's confidence and creativity have grown but we've also seen his language and communication improve even more!"

From Super Mario Lego sets to Star Wars to Captain Underpants books, Hugh has many passions that he enjoys exploring. He also loves animals. Most recently, he's learning how climate change is affecting polar bears.

Hugh takes these interests and brings them to life during his in-person Foundation Workshop. His favorite thing about IOB? Making posters! He gets down to business as soon as it's time to start creating. He's recently learned a new trick in Illustrator–adding text to his designs.

His mentor, Astrid, has the pleasure of seeing his creativity unfold each week. "Hugh is a great student to work with, he has a lot of energy and a lot of creative ideas, and it’s really exciting to watch him start to put together a new project. He’s always excited to learn new techniques, and I can’t wait to see how he continues to grow at Islands of Brilliance!"

We have a feeling that we're going to see great things from Hugh! It's going to be awesome to be a part of this 9-year old's adventure.