Eventually, I returned to academia to purse a master's degree in education and my teaching certification. I remember being excited about becoming a teacher and working hard to keep up in my classes and student teaching responsibilities. I thought I has left behind the stigma and stereotypes associated with having a learning disability until I took a required education courses on teaching reading. The instructor started the first class with a long monolog on why he had left K-12 education to work with college students to help new educators learn how to teach children how to read. He provided detail statistics on how having a learning disability result in low academic success and poor career outcomes. He asked the class if anyone had a learning disability, and I naively raised my hand thinking he would be happy that I had beat the odds. Instead, he doubted my diagnosis and stated "You must have a mild form of dyslexia then." I felt dismissed and my lived experience disregarded. Sadly, this would not be the last time an educator made me feel unworthy solely due to being neurodiverse.

After completing my master's in education, I worked as a high school teacher for five years. I enjoyed working with my students, designing curriculum, and developing different ways to help students understand STEM content. But I also felt overwhelmed by the workload, hated grading, and disliked dealing with parents and administrators. I returned to university to purse a second master's degree (in biology) with the goal of becoming a university instructor. I enjoyed taking science courses and designing my own research and decided to pursue a doctoral degree in Ecology. During this program, I had the opportunity to join a pedagogy-based mentoring program that allowed me to explore inclusive educational ideas and practices. When I started teaching at the University of Wyoming, I employed many aspects of active learning and Universal Design for Learning. I also developed online instructional strategies in response to the pandemic but also burnt out on teaching while in lockdown.

Since leaving teaching, I have been an instructional designer, academic advisor, and pre-health specialist advisor at different universities. During this time, I also discovered that I am AuDHD (co-occurring ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder) and have been learning not only about these different traits, but about how to support students with neurodiverse conditions. I have presented "Supporting Neurodiverse Students" and "Incorporating Universal Design for Learning in College Courses" at different conferences over the last three years.

As an individual with multiple overlapping neurodiverse conditions and a career in higher education, I have both the lived experience and academic training to assist neurodiverse adults and educational professionals in creating inclusive curriculum and classrooms.