Lyn Pollard
Parent Advocacy & Engagement Manager
Nat. Center for Learning Disabilities & Understood
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
I did well in school, but I also quickly grew bored. Math was hard for me, but I had good support.
In high school I had an English teacher who fostered my writing talent. I also excelled in drama.
I majored in Journalism at UT-Austin and wrote for the campus newspaper; it was a great experience.
I worked in Journalism, Organizational Management Consulting and Marketing before my kids were born.
I was a stay-at-home mom for 10 years, during which I freelance wrote & worked for an app developer.
I started writing and blogging about my experiences with my children's learning differences.
One of my pieces about my daughter's dyslexia was published in The New York Times' parenting blog!
I have been working with the NCLD and Understood for several years. I love working in this field!
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Parent Advocacy & Engagement Manager
I connect parents to education & resources on learning disabilities. I also help tell their stories.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Non-Profit Organizations
Writing
Communicating / Sharing Stories
Day to Day
I work from home, which is fabulous, so that's a little different than your average workday in an office. I think that a great day for me means having the ability to successfully wear my many different hats-I'd get to do some advocacy work, some writing, some social media work, etc. I especially love any day where I get the opportunity to engage one-on-one with our constituents and parents. For example, today I got to have a coffee with a local parent and point her towards some great resources.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for middle school students
If you're interested in nonprofit or advocacy work, you should start volunteering at a young age. You need to learn how to be engage in and be dedicated to a cause. You can can start doing that as early as elementary school. On the writing side, I tell prospective writers to work for their school newspapers, whether in middle, high school, or college. Working at my college newspaper was one of the best experiences of my life! It helps you connect to your community and learn to tell stories.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Myself:
"You're not good at math."
Challenges I Overcame
Learning Issues
