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April is Autism Awareness Month, but for a group of Loras students, supporting and celebrating neurodiversity is a year-round mission—and it now has a name: Neuro-DU-verse.

Neuro-DU-verse, Loras College’s new student organization, was founded to create a space where neurodivergent students—including those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, dyslexia, anxiety, learning differences, and more—can feel seen, supported, and understood. But this group isn’t just about raising awareness. It’s about creating real community, connection, and change.

Loras has always been strong on community, but students with disabilities haven’t always felt included. As one member explained, “Especially at a school where athletics are so important, it’s easy for some groups to feel forgotten. [Neuro-DU-verse] is a judgment-free, welcoming space for anyone who feels like they don’t quite fit into other places.”

The new organization meets weekly in the Lynch Learning Center. It is an open, accepting space where students come together for games, ice breakers, and conversation. While the gatherings are consistent and routine, they are also flexible, with no pressure or long-term commitments. “It’s about having somewhere to go where you can just be yourself,” another student said. “You don’t have to stress about what’s due or what’s coming next. It’s a space where people get it.” And you don’t have to identify as neurodivergent to attend. The organization is open to everyone—students, staff, and faculty—who either identify as neurodiverse or are allies in support.

The impact of Neuro-DU-verse has already extended beyond weekly meetings. Their recent Care Package Fundraising Project created and distributed care packages to 28 members of the community during one of the most stressful points of the semester. The goal? To spark joy and ease anxiety for the recipients. The project raised $700, launched with the help of a $300 donation, and involved collaboration with a career strategies course. Students took on leadership roles in marketing, logistics, and finance—learning hands-on skills and navigating the real-life challenges of team dynamics, responsibility, and self-advocacy. One organizer said, “It wasn’t just another group project.  It felt like volunteering and was fun.” Another added, “Seeing how happy people were to receive those packages—it was heartwarming.”

As the group looks to the future, Neuro-DU-verse is already planning new events and initiatives, with leftover funds being saved to support the next round of programming. Their mission remains rooted in creating inclusive, welcoming spaces. If you are interested in joining the group, just come Monday evenings at 5:00 to the Lynch Learning Center. 

To learn more about autism and other forms of neurodiversity, please visit the book display on the main floor of the Library.

Stephanie Foo’s memoir, What My Bones Know is a powerful exploration of healing from Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Foo built a successful career as a journalist and radio producer of This American Life but beneath that exterior was a lifelong struggle with the effects of childhood abuse and abandonment. After years of therapy, she was finally told her diagnosis of Complex PTSD. This revelation became a turning point, opening a new path where Foo would come to terms with her past and find healing.

Foo’s narrative is both personal and investigative, blending her own experiences with research, expert interviews, and stories from other trauma survivors. She details her frustrating search for mental health care, the limitations of cognitive behavioral therapy, and her exploration of other therapeutic approaches, including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), somatic experiencing, and mindfulness practices. Foo’s journey has no single breakthrough moment, but instead she takes the reader on her slow, nonlinear process of healing. 

In telling her own story, Foo also reflects on intergenerational trauma. She explores how cultural identity and inherited pain shape her understanding of trauma and resilience. She confronts the ways in which cultural silence can compound suffering while also recognizing the strength found in community and heritage. This realization inspired the title. As she writes, “"Every cell in my body is filled with the code of generations of trauma, of death, of birth, of migration, of history that I cannot understand…My family tried to erase this history. But my body remembers…I want to have words for what my bones know. I want to use those gifts when they serve me and understand and forgive them when they do not (202). 

To learn more about healing from trauma, including some books recommended by Foo, please visit the book display on the third floor. Also, please join us on Thursday, April 10 at 6:30 in the MARC Third Floor Commons to hear Foo talk about her memoir.