Singing the national anthem: A performance 7 years in the making
It takes a lot of courage to get on stage and sing in front of people, but for one graduating high school student on the spectrum in Windsor, it was more than just nerves she had to overcome.
Jamila Kusow and her teachers spent increments of five minutes over seven years to prepare Kusow to sing "O' Canada" at her graduation ceremony on June 26.
"She never let autism define her. She had that trust in us and over the last seven years I've seen her fight herself each and every day to break those barriers to overcome those challenges," said her teacher Hiba Yacoub.
Growing to like music
When Jamila Kusow entered Westview Freedom Academy she didn't like school, music or crowds, and she didn't know how to properly express what she needed when her anxiety became too much.
"Sometimes I'd hit, sometimes I'd scream, sometimes I'd yell," she said.
There were several things Kusow didn't like about school, but she had teachers committed to helping her.
"She had never gone to an assembly in her grade school, she hated music, she never allowed anyone to watch movies in class, she did not like watching movies," said Yacoub.
When Yacoub learned Kusow had a beautiful singing voice, she realized there was an opportunity to connect with Kusow through music.
"It was kind of a hurdle because initially whenever she saw a movie, a DVD, a music player, she would either throw it, hit it, run out of the classroom, yell and scream."
"We worked on things for example, like Jamila you choose your music," she said.
Slowly Kusow built a trust in her teachers and fellow students. Her friends would listen to music while she completed one or two tasks. Then the music would stop.
"So a five-minute increment over the next seven years helped, because now Jamila can listen to music for the entire class."
Kusow's attitude toward school started to change.
"I like school better. I do math, language, some math tasks, Ms. Yacoub taught me how I do math and language and Ms. Yacoub taught me and I do some journal entries," said Kusow.
Fardovza Kusow is Jamila's younger sister and best friend. She has seen an improvement in Kusow's school work and her personality.
"She's a character. She is really charismatic and has so much energy. She literally brings light into a room. Every single person that Jamila meets, she sets a pretty solid impression on them," she said.
Kusow started singing
Yacoub asked Kusow to learn her favourite song, "All of Me." Kusow was successful.
Next, Yacoub came up with an idea for Kusow to share her voice at her graduation.
"I didn't approach it this time as a question — I made a statement. I said 'Jamila, at the end of June you'll be singing the national anthem' and she said 'Ms. Yacoub can I have the lyrics?'"
Everyday after finishing her schoolwork, Kusow practised the Canadian anthem. All of this would have been unfathomable seven years ago.
"When Jamila first started with us, she never spoke with anybody. She sat by herself, wanted nothing to do with anyone in the classroom and now Jamila is a social butterfly."
And this young woman, who didn't like anything, now says she's excited for whatever comes next.
"She's looking forward to the future which is exciting, I definitely didn't expect her to be this eager about it years ago," said Fardovza Kusow.
