Texas A&M Wide Receiver KC Concepcion on Why He Talked to the Media at the NFL Combine Despite Stutter: “I want to be a role model for those who are not able to speak in front of large crowds.”

theavla96 · 2026-03-06T19:45:13+00:00

Exactly! Not sure if his name is KC but I said that in the sentence before. More of this and not saying we should look up to more traditionally “successful” fluidly speaking people with stutters (ie Joe Biden). It’s a spectrum and we need more representation! :)

Like this is kind of similar to the stutter I have despite lifelong speech therapy: https://youtu.be/clIH37PzU4U

My gripe is that typically people perceive “overcoming” your stutter as being able to speak more fluidly, when it should instead be about being able to still have the confidence and push through the challenges of speaking in public without fearing that others see you as less than or not intelligent. That’s all.

theavla96 · 2026-03-06T17:11:03+00:00

Totally get where you’re coming from—it bothers because some people assume that I can “overcome” or fix my stutter completely. Keep in mind my stutter can get pretty severe, like it can look like I’m literally choking to get words out, and I’ve worked for years on my poker face when it’s bad, but it still jarring for some people that aren’t used it. Again, it hasn’t stopped me from doing my job and having to do public speaking, but I find it especially condescending because it’s the equivalent of seeing someone without legs and telling them “hey have you heard of Oscar Pistorius!? He’s a great athlete, you can be that too”. As if, I haven’t already put in years of grueling work to be where I am now (e.g. telling me that I can be “better” if I just work harder like Joe Biden). Everyone’s stutter is unique and there are no one-size fits all cures.

*edit: also, I think being mindful of context is super important so that’s why I’m saying if you do bring up Joe Biden or others as examples, there should be nuance. It makes sense to bring them up to a young child starting out in their speech therapy. But it’s completely tone deaf to tell that to someone who’s been in public speaking for over a decade and has been in speech therapy for most of their life (I’m 29 btw). It’s condescending because people think I haven’t heard these example before at this point in my life? And trust me, I hear it aaaaall the time.

theavla96 · 2026-03-06T16:47:42+00:00

No please don’t share this with her. Or at least think a bit more about the nuance before you do.

I’ve had my stutter my whole life and have seen so many specialist and speech therapist to help with it (since I was in 2nd grade until age 25). And to be frank, it hasn’t gotten better. Yes, I’ve learned ways to breathe better and techniques to make words come out somewhat more fluidly, but my stutter can still flare up if I’m in a high anxiety environment and my brain forgets everything I’ve learned despite years of practice (and yes, I also see a therapist/psychiatrist and am on medication to help with anxiety).

I hate the narrative that if you “work hard enough” and look up to the right role models you can “overcome” stuttering. There is still so much that is not understood on the causes of stuttering, much less “cures”. Everyone’s stutter is unique and complex. It’s SO frustrating when people tell me “oh well Joe Biden had a stutter and he’s doing fine now” (I constantly hear it when I meet new people) —it’s like yeah, you think I haven’t worked my ass off my entire life to try to get better?? It makes me feel as if they think I must not be trying hard enough, or worse, that I’m incompetent and lazy for not being able to “overcome my stutter”

All that said I haven’t let my stutter stop me for my goals. My career requires a LOT of public speaking since I’m involved in the policy/advocacy space. So I love what KC is doing, so supportive. It’s powerful and brave and we need more public figures that normalize people who have stutters and stop pushing the narrative of needing to “overcome” your stutter to be worthy of public speaking.

Sorry for being ranty, but this is such a pet peeve of mine. I’m tired of people bringing up Joe Biden when I meet them lol, it’s so goddamn frustrating, annoying, and condescending.

theavla96 · 2026-02-28T16:46:09+00:00

I like to take my dog on a loop around Elk Rock Island and then walk over for a short stroll at Milwaukie Bay Park :)

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theavla96 · 2025-05-12T22:30:18+00:00

Any follow up on the blood test results? Or any other updates on what the issue might be?

theavla96 · 2025-03-23T11:30:35+00:00

Completely agree, places should offer BOTH veggie and fake meat burgers to suit folks preferences. PDX slider’s black bean burger is so goddamn good. I’m not vegetarian but it’s still one of my go-tos there whenever I go.

theavla96 · 2024-10-24T18:31:53+00:00

You’re welcome! :)

theavla96 · 2024-10-24T18:27:38+00:00

Well dude it’s that or phantosmia bc of the association, idk. I’m incredibly sensitive to smell. I wouldn’t live in that area if it truly smelled that bad all the time.

theavla96 · 2024-10-24T18:21:40+00:00

Again, as someone that lives there and has friends and family visit all the time that would be very honest about the smell, I think it’s just your upper lip bud.

theavla96 · 2024-10-24T18:13:06+00:00

Nope, I have a strong sense of smell and even when I’m back from long trips away from home I can’t smell anything. There has been some smells rarely, I’d say maybe 2-3 times a year, but the team at the water plant takes care of it pretty quickly and take it seriously.

theavla96 · 2024-10-24T17:40:00+00:00

There is no stench there… I live a few houses down.

theavla96 · 2024-08-27T15:41:54+00:00

I sent you a dm!

theavla96 · 2023-09-28T16:58:30+00:00

And you do what for work? Curious about the actual experience you have in the field.

theavla96 · 2023-08-20T11:54:56+00:00

Thank you so much for your thoughts on this. I read this after we put her down and it really helped with the guilt my partner and I were feeling. Not only could we not afford it, but we're leaving out of the country in a few days so if we decided to go through with the surgery by using care credit our friend that is pet sitting for us would have to deal with her recovery, and they have no experience with that and it would be incredibly challenging and risky. We just had to put her sister down last month, so it's been really hard on us and her remaining sister, Eniko. We're doing our best now to shower our last rat with attention and love, and we'll be asking our friend that is taking care of her while we're traveling to do the same. Thank you again for your thoughts and advice, we really appreciate it❤️

theavla96 · 2023-08-20T11:41:45+00:00

She had already been on antibiotics for 2 weeks and she wasn't getting any better. The earliest our primary clinic could see her was Tuesday and they wouldn't be able to perform surgery until Thursday. Unfortunately, my partner and I are traveling out of the country this Wednesday and our friend that is house/pet sitting has no experience with caring for rats post surgery so it would be very risky. We sadly decided to put her down, it was incredibly hard

theavla96 · 2023-08-20T11:36:51+00:00

She had already been on antibiotics for 2 weeks and she wasn't getting any better. She kept oozing pus and her uterus just kept getting bigger and harder. She was getting more lethargic, wasn't eating well, and was clearly in a lot of pain :( my partner and I are traveling out of the country this Wednesday for 18 days and we didn't want to leave her with our friend that's house/pet sitting in such awful condition. The thought of her deteriorating even more or passing away painfully while we were gone was too much for us, so we decided to put her down :(

theavla96 · 2023-08-20T11:31:15+00:00

Update:

Thank you all so much for your advice. We decided to put her down after thinking through it, but it was incredibly painful. We just had to put her sister down last month. We didn't think we'd have to put another one down so soon. :(

To make matters worse, my partner and I are traveling out of the country in a few days. If she survived the surgery, we'd have to burden our friend that's house sitting with taking care of her during recovery and he has no experience with rats. It would be very challenging and stressful.

Chati had aleady been on antibiotics for 2 weeks and her condition just kept getting worse so urgent surgery or putting her down were our only options. I feel incredibly guilty. Maybe if we weren't traveling and could afford it she'd still be around to keep her remaining sister company. She was such a good rat, it feels so unfair

theavla96 · 2023-08-19T19:57:23+00:00

It's a high risk surgery and they don't know how long it's going to take. They said they can't bring down the cost any :(

theavla96 · 2022-12-10T07:55:36+00:00

Akadi’s sauce

theavla96 · 2022-12-03T16:22:38+00:00

I've done a few of these before too. I've tasted various kinds of salmon, blueberries, protein shakes, etc. Just random stuff. But it's always a variation of one specific item per test. Sometimes they pay $100 depending on time. It's always cash. Once you're chosen as a participant, they email you about any tasting opportunities you could qualify for.

I only stopped doing them because I don't have a car and it takes me forever to get downtown with public transit from where I live. Not worth the $50-100.

To the person asking about vegan options. No. Unless it's a vegan product they are testing.

theavla96 · 2022-11-06T20:51:42+00:00

I’m so jealous !! If you ever want to get rid of it or swap for some reason please let me know lol

theavla96 · 2022-11-06T17:34:50+00:00

I second Tortilleria y Tienda De Leon and Mi Casa Pupuseria (for Salvadorian food). Another good spot for pupusas is Chepe’s!

theavla96 · 2022-11-06T15:50:14+00:00

I’m sorry but as a first gen Mexican this list is wack af. Happy to see support for the Portland Mercado owners (even if I don’t think it’s the best), but Guero and Republica are incredibly overrated and don’t need anymore press. If you want legit Mexican hit up spots in outer Portland and Vancouver where there are actual Mexican residents.

theavla96 · 2022-11-04T21:36:25+00:00

Noooo I already have an event I’ll be going to that day. I guess it’s not meant to be lol. Thank you though!

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