Stefanie's Story - Opera Gives Voice To Autistic Singer
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy April 23rd, 2010. NBC Nightly News featured OCCTAC student Stefanie Diaz and instructor Renee Rulon Cortez in the "Making A Difference" segment on their Friday night national broadcast. For all of us who have known Stefanie and her family for many years it was an emotional moment. It was wonderful to see how far Stefanie has come in the 9 years she has received therapeutic art classes at our center. Of course, a 2-minute news segment cannot tell her amazing story in much detail. But Dr. Ana Jimènez-Hami, founder and president, remembers. "Stefanie was one of our first students. Her family came to us for help because both Stefanie and her brother have autism. Stefanie displayed severe autistic behavior at that time. Stefanie Diaz at age 9. However, Stefanie showed a keen interest in many forms of art. Over the years, she has attended v...