Busting Myths and Unlocking Potential: Carrington Manous’ Approach to Being a Role Model
Sparking conversations about difficult topics is kind of Carrington’s thing.
Girl Talk National Advocate, Carrington Manous facilitates conversations around learning differences and unconscious biases that limit and isolate students and their families. Historically, girls have been underdiagnosed and mistreated due to selective screening and a limited understanding of what dyslexia looks like. Selective screening is a process that allows parents and educators to refer students who they believe have potential signifiers of neurodivergence for dyslexia screenings (#SucceedwithDyslexia, 2024). As a result, many girls spend most of their academic careers lacking the support and resources necessary for them to succeed. Recognizing the importance of early testing and intervention, Carrington successfully collaborated with Senator Gloria Butler on Senate Bill (SB) 48, mandating local Georgia school systems to screen kindergarten to grade 3 students for dyslexia signifiers.
Carrington, Girl Talk’s National Advocate and 2024 Miss Georgia’s Teen, made it clear that her leadership journey has not always been easy. Carrington revealed that stepping out of her comfort zone has shown her, and millions like her, the limitless potential and the vast opportunities available for dyslexic thinkers. As a result, she has joined an international community of advocates for dyslexia awareness and educational equity.
Carrington’s non-profit organization, Carrington Cares/#DecodeDyslexia, is a compelling example of her courageous leadership. Through her non-profit, she is expanding the definition of dyslexia while disproving assumptions that we make about learning differences. She shared a powerful clarification in our discussion, “dyslexia, the proper term, is a neurological learning difference. [It is a] neurological brain difference that involves difficulty to read and interpret words, letters and other symbols. There is no word in my definition that [indicates] you can’t achieve the goals you want to achieve.” Carrington’s insightful analysis of the definition of dyslexia highlights her dedication to challenging the thoughts and ideas that connect learning differences with lack of intelligence. At Girl Talk, we know these limiting thoughts and ideas harm girls’ self-esteem, sense of belonging, and make them question their inherent leadership potential.
She shared a powerful clarification in our discussion, “dyslexia, the proper term, is a neurological learning difference. [It is a] neurological brain difference that involves difficulty to read and interpret words, letters and other symbols. There is no word in my definition that [indicates] you can’t achieve the goals you want to achieve.”
Carrington’s passion for dispelling myths fuels her motivation to continue to break down barriers and speak up for young people, throughout her Georgia community and worldwide. Insightfully, she exclaimed “no matter what society says, or no matter what people are telling me, yeah, I can still do the things that I want to do and that I just need to keep pushing forward.” Carrington’s leadership is rooted in her awareness of shared struggles and her encouragement of others to step up and into their rightful place as confident, supportive leaders. She is not only decoding dyslexia, but she is also decoding her unique approach to youth leadership.
Loved learning about our National Advocate, Carrington Manous? Well, there is more to explore! Follow and engage with Girl Talk (@girltalkinc) and Carrington (@iamcarringtonelan) on social media for more inspiring, girl-centered content!
LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE:
We invite you to share how you lead in your everyday life with us via social media. Tag us @girltalkinc in your Instagram reel of TikTok video answering the question below and using the hashtag #LeadLikeHer !
How do you lead by example?