Introducing Alexa Levitt
Ambassador Spotlight
My name is Alexa Levitt and I am sophomore studying Human and Organizational Development, as well as Business and Special Education. I am a new Student Ambassador this semester here at the Wond’ry and I’m thrilled to be in an environment that cultivates such creative collaboration as well as both personal and professional development each and every day.
I discovered the Center for Autism and Innovation (VCAI) upon arriving at the Wond’ry on my first day. I was drawn to its mission of looking beyond the traditional deficit view of autism, and instead, harness the unique abilities of neuro-diverse individuals by creating mutual benefits in education, research, and the private sector. VCAI has recognized that high-tech companies in Nashville continuously find they are especially limited in their employment pool. At the same time, there is unmet demand for talented, highly-skilled and capable individuals in sectors such as technology, finance, cyber-security, healthcare analytics in the workplace. My personal investment in this approach is rooted in my familial connection. I have two younger brothers on the Autism Spectrum who are currently seniors in high school and seeking out the next opportunities in their personal life trajectories. I wholeheartedly understand this issue from a sibling perspective as well as from someone who will enter the workforce full time in a few short years.
I designed my personal project at the Wond’ry to combine my passion for innovation with my personal investment in seeking opportunities for uniquely bright and capable neuro-diverse individuals. Specifically, with Autism Spectrum Disorder now affecting 1 in 68 people, there has emerged a great need and opportunity to optimize the lifespan outcomes for these individuals, who are consistently documented as unemployed, underemployed, experiencing psychiatric symptoms, and other negative quality-of-life indicators in early adulthood.
Specifically, I am collaborating with the VCAI to develop an immersive experience for undergraduates interested in learning about Autistic individuals and the value they add to the workplace. It will be a compilation of workshops and hands-on work with individuals with Autism to demonstrate that neurodiversity should be embraced and incorporated in jobs, and that neuro-typical Vanderbilt students would benefit from understanding the intricacies of their peers with Autism. Additionally, VCAI has recently partnered with Spectrum Pathways, which focuses on empowering young adults with autism through interactions with Vanderbilt University students. They learn about community resources, setting goals, improving their health and how to better manage stress. I will be matched with a young adult with Autism who has specific personal or career goals and act as a coach/mentor for him or her throughout the semester, giving him or her tangible, achievable action steps to achieve the goal(s).
The Wond’ry exists to foster innovation across all disciplines at Vanderbilt University. To align with that mission, VCAI not only works to invent new programs and technologies that enable neuro-diverse individuals to succeed in the workplace, but the center’s innovations represent a collaboration of Vanderbilt engineers, scientists, disabilities researchers, and business scholars. I am ecstatic that I will be able to have the opportunity and resources to contribute to the center’s initiative approach to understanding and leveraging the exceptional capabilities of individuals on the Autism Spectrum to fuel innovation in the 21st century economy!
Alexa Levitt
Student Ambassador