Robbie Brown has learned that academic and personal success can be found through humor and by just being himself.

Diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome when he was in second grade, the Penn Manor High School senior said he continues to learn how to live with the condition.

"When I was growing up, kids weren't able to see what was different about me," he said. "In high school, I've met people who accepted me the way I am, and they are my best friends."

Brown said that he is not defined by his diagnosis, but he wants people to be educated about Asperger's.

"The biggest thing about Asperger's is that it is a social handicap," he said. "I can be involved in something and I might not know how to interact with someone."

He explained that he uses headphones to block out distracting background noises so that he is better able to focus on his tasks.

Quick-witted and friendly, Brown has used that focus not only in his classes, but also as the president of the school's chorus.

"Well, I didn't just seize authority," Brown said jokingly. "I was elected by the other students."

Brown also has to step up as leader if his chorus teacher is absent.

"I will help to direct the chorus, running them through music," Brown said. "They usually listen to me, but if it gets too wild and crazy, I have to get them to work together."

Brown also is a member of the high school's elite singing group, the Manor Singers, and has been singing ever since he was a student at Eshleman Elementary. He also has been a regular performer in Penn Manor's musicals, having appeared in shows such as "Footloose" and "Fiddler on the Roof."

Brown also has auditioned for county and district choruses, saying performance jitters don't come until after he has finished singing.

The advice that got him through?

"My friend told me I could go in and be nervous beforehand," he said, "or I could do my best, and just own the moment."

Brown, 18, will attend Drexel University next fall, where he plans to major in computer engineering.

His possible future plans include writing software for computer giants such as Nintendo or Google. He has already learned some of the many software languages.

"I had gotten into online writing with friends, where one person would start a story and someone else could continue it. So I created a Web site for my friends to write stories," Brown said. "I liked the method behind it, and the more I did with it, the more fun I started to have."

Brown is a member of the National Honor Society and ranks in the top 10 percent of Penn Manor's class of 2008. He carries a 4.0 grade-point average.

A member of the school's chess team, Brown competed this winter against players from other Lancaster County schools. He said chess should be considered a true sport.

"I always say it's mentally tiring, but no one ever believes me," Brown said with a laugh.

In his spare time, Brown enjoys listening to Japanese pop rock, a genre he said some people might find odd.

"What I like about music, though, is that it communicates something, and you don't need to understand the words to get it," he said.

The teen travels with his parents, Scott and Ann Brown, and older sister Megan each summer to Nags Head, N.C. He lives with his family and two dogs, Jake ("The Moose") and Buckley, in Millersville.