Montel Medley, of Prince George’s County, Md., majored in math and computer science at Towson University.
Montel Medley in his dorm room on Wednesday, two days before he graduates from Towson University with a dual degree in math and computer science. By Ovetta Wiggins Ovetta Wiggins Local reporter covering Maryland state politics Email Bio Follow May 24 at 7:00 AM Montel Medley barely spoke when he was 3 years old. His mother remembers him repeatedly saying one word, “truck,” and almost nothing else.
“I said to myself, ‘I’m going to step back and let him do his thing, let him be more independent,’ ” she said.He stayed in his dorm, skipping classes sometimes. His grades started to plummet. By the end of the semester, he had failed three classes, got a B in one and a D in another. That fall, he received two B-pluses, three A’s and one A-minus, earning a 3.66 grade-point average and landing on the dean’s list for the second time since arriving at Towson in 2014.Montel Medley leaves the building where he studied chemistry at Towson University, days before he graduates. One out of three high school students with autism attend college, said Paul Shattuck, an associate professor with the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute at Drexel University.
She said she has tried to encourage Montel to be responsible, offering tough love, she said, in an attempt “not to baby him.”Despite behavioral issues in his early years of elementary school, Montel scored high on tests. He was paired with an aide from third grade until his freshman year in high school to help him navigate the classroom and among his schoolmates.
At Towson, he said, he “learned to adapt and do things on his own,” including laundry, setting his schedules, and juggling his homework and class work. He became a member of Towson’s Delta Alpha Pi, an honor society for students with disabilities. This year, he mentored a freshman who also is majoring in computer science.
Dawn Timmons-Jones, who was his supervisor and became his mentor, said she has been keeping an eye out for positions for him.On campus, some of Montel’s professors were not necessarily aware of his autism — but they knew that he loves asking questions.
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