“Parish has had a huge impact on my life, learning language and really being able to learn off other kids as well. It's just been a really big impact,” Kyle said. “I definitely learned the power of language and really starting to really put everything together with the leadership of Ms. Rhonda and Ms. Camilla.”
stand or go jump for a while and then come back to the task. So, that model was great for what he needed at the time.”
Through years of hard work and sacrifice, Kyle is now a college graduate. Parish provided the foundation for Kyle to succeed. The Wakefields know that the journey may be difficult, but Brandi encourages other parents to always be on top of their child’s needs in order for them to succeed. “Like the Parish staff stayed on top of it, you now become the Parish staff as the parent, making sure that those needs are met and that you're getting the materials you need,” Brandi said. The 24-year-old Ole Miss graduate has an interest in working on the media production side as he looks to begin his professional career. Kyle also wants to give back to the Autism community through fundraising and volunteering.
The work wasn’t just designated to the classroom either. Brandi assembled a team, which included Early Childhood Intervention, a speech-language pathologist, occupational and physical therapists and more to help in Kyle’s development. He worked tirelessly, from sun up to sun down.
“From the time he woke up to the time he went to bed, there was no break,” Brandi said. “We were always working at some sort of task.”
Kyle transitioned out of Parish following the winter of 2008, and with the help of his team and family, eventually graduated from Taylor High School in 2020 with a 3.40 GPA. When navigating next steps, the Wakefields traveled to Mississippi and had lunch with family friend and former Ole Miss basketball coach Kermit Davis, who told Kyle that if he went there, he’d make him a manager. Kyle got accepted to Ole Miss, became the student manager for men’s basketball, had his own viral moment and graduated with a degree in journalism in May 2025.
Parish played a pivotal role in Kyle’s life. He advises students to just stay with the process and each day continue to get “a little bit better.”
“I think the biggest thing is if you give 110% in what you do, a good result is going to come out of it,” Kyle said. “I know it won't happen right away, but I know that if you put 110% into what you're doing, you're going to get a good positive result out of it.” Scan to see Kyle’s viral moment!
“I knew Ole Miss would be open arms in accepting me, and I'm glad they did because it's really been the best five years of my life,” Kyle said.
| 5 SUMMER 2025
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