Ava Wilczak is from Chicago, Illinois, and is a sophomore at Loyola University in New Orleans, where she studies Public Health with a minor in Mathematics. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a career in community healthcare and possibly continue her education with a master’s degree in Social Work, with the goal of helping people secure housing in at-risk communities.

Outside of academics, Ava enjoys reading, attending live music events, and playing music. She currently works as a nanny and volunteers with a local harm reduction organization, a cause she is deeply passionate about. Ava identifies as neurodivergent, with dyslexia, a processing disorder, and other neurodivergent identities.

Ava has been part of The Neurodiversity Alliance for nearly five years, serving as a mentor, chapter leader, and a member of the Youth Action Governing Council. She first joined the organization after a teacher encouraged her to get involved following a negative learning experience her freshman year of high school. Through the ND Alliance, she gained a stronger understanding of the learning disability community and built positive experiences around her own learning differences. The ND Alliance has been a transformative and healing community for Ava, and she remains actively involved to give back to a program that has given her so much.