Carly Priest
About
Carly attended the College of the Holy Cross and was a four-year member and captain of their Division I Swimming and Diving Team as a diver in the Patriot League. Carly earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and English, graduating with honors in 2018. After college, Carly joined Teach For America in Miami-Dade County and spent three years teaching upper elementary English Language Arts and Social Studies at Frederick Douglass Elementary School, where she served as Union Steward for two years and was named Rookie Teacher of the Year in 2019. Carly joined The Neurodiversity Alliance team in 2021, where she led the Eye to Eye Mentoring Program team for three years before transitioning into her current role as Director of Curriculum and Program Development for The Neurodiversity Alliance.
Outside of work, Carly creates art, spends time outdoors, and hangs out with her family and friends!
Why this Work is Important to Me
This work is important to me because I have a learning disability, and my involvement with Eye to Eye’s Mentoring Program in high school set me on the career trajectory I am on today. Representation is powerful, and before my involvement with Eye to Eye (now The Neurodiversity Alliance) I didn’t have exposure to students with learning disabilities in college– which led me to believe that college wasn’t an option for neurodivergent people. Through formal and informal mentoring connected to The Neurodiversity Alliance, I gained internship experiences, professional advisement, and a sense of belonging with neurodivergent friends who had lived experiences similar to my own. Today, I am passionate about empowering the next generation of neurodivergent young people and their allies and increasing neurodiverse representation across all career paths through resources and equity-focused social sector work.