“When he was young, doctors said he wouldn’t be anything. Now they are simply astounded as to what he’s become,” Margaret Avery, Kyle’s mother, said. “It’s a miraculous feat what he’s accomplished.”
Kyle grew up in a family of five adopted children. He is one of two in the family with physical limitations.
Kyle’s limitations include fetal alcohol syndrome, cerebral palsy and ADHD. Even though Kyle was told numerous times by people in his schools that he wouldn’t be able to handle life, he has managed to surprise them.
According to his doctors, teachers and parents, Kyle has actually gone above and beyond that which anyone thought even remotely possible.
Kyle’s motto is “wherever you go, there you are.” He lives by this motto and tries to teach others around him the meaning of these words. He really believes that no matter where you are in life, it’s up to you what you make of yourself.
“I knew that I was a normal kid, but no one else could see that,” Kyle said.
Kyle is extremely aware that a lot of his accomplishments are due to his upbringing.
“If my parents weren’t being good parents, I wouldn’t be the same person I am today,” he said. Both Gary Avery, his father, and Margaret Avery agree.
“Everything my family does is a reflection of what I should be doing,” Kyle said. As he talked about his family, there was a look of respect on his face.
Margaret Avery explained that Kyle has always made friends easily. “He’ll do anything for a friend,” she said.
She also spoke about how compassionate and forgiving Kyle is. “He gives his friendship so easily,” she said.
Kyle recently graduated from the Jordan Resource Center, in Midvale, with a GPA of 3.5. He also attended both Bingham and Riverton high schools briefly.
“We always thought there was an answer, and a way to make it all possible for him,” Margaret Avery said.
Kyle has advanced so far that one of his teachers asked him to help teach a class on how to make computer games. This came about because Kyle was curious about how to do it and asked if he could take the book home with him over the weekend. He picked up on it so quickly that the teacher handed the class over to him.
“He likes to figure out how things work,” Gary Avery said of his son.
Gary Avery said that Kyle taught himself how to ride a bike, use a skateboard, and play the guitar. He has also done some woodworking, building cabinets and book cases at Herriman High School.
“We’re all astounded at the knowledge that he has,” Margaret Avery said.
Kyle said that his schooling has taught him to be responsible with his life. “It doesn’t matter what they teach in school, it’s always about preparing you for life,” he said.
He also writes his own raps as sort of a venting process. He even admits that some of them are not acceptable to his parents, but it’s better than the alternative.
“Through all of the challenges I’ve been through, I’ve made some tough choices and some of them may not perfect, but through my rapping, I’m able to express myself,” he said.
Both of his parents agree that Kyle never gives up and won’t quit on anything. And although he’s been through many struggles with school, with the law, and other aspects of life, he continues to push forward.
Kyle is applying to attend Salt Lake Community College in the fall. He will be studying IT and web design.
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Kyle Avery with his mother Margaret, father Gary and one of his sisters. Kyle has struggled to get through school, but his hard work paid off. He graduated at the top of his class in June. |
By Alisha Tondro for The South Valley
Published in July 2011 in Riverton, Utah
