Alexia’s Servant Leadership: How she empowers other Memphians
Meet ALEXIA YOUNG,
Class of 2015
Alexia’s journey from Texas to Memphis is one of faith, empowerment, and servant leadership. With a passion for uplifting students and the cleft community through her nonprofit, Beauty for Ashes, Alexia is deeply rooted in the city’s spirit of excellence. Whether mentoring through her nonprofit or leading in education, she credits MTR’s influence for shaping her vision to serve Memphis with heart and purpose.
Since moving from Texas to Memphis in 2007 for her education degree at the University of Memphis, Alexia Young has been deeply rooted in the city's spirit of empowerment. “Memphis thrives on organizations like Choose901, New Memphis, and MTR that push us to serve and empower,” she says. It's this commitment to excellence that keeps her here.
Though she hadn’t planned on a career in public education, Alexia’s path changed in 2014 when Trey Willis (MTR Class of 2014) encouraged her to apply. It was a leap of faith, and it paid off. “If God opens the doors, I’m going to walk through,” she says.
While teaching can be hard some days, the most rewarding part of her ten years as a teacher and leader -- at Lucie E Campbell, Compass, and now the Director of RTI and Assessment at Soulsville -- has been seeing her students overcome personal challenges and thrive. “Seeing them now as high schoolers excelling is the full circle of teaching,” she reflects.
Beyond the classroom, Alexia’s personal journey with a cleft lip and palate inspired her to start the nonprofit Beauty for Ashes (B4A), which raises awareness and provides support to the cleft community. B4A has programming throughout the year like banquets, arts programs, and more. With guidance from MTR’s Executive Director David Montague, Alexia built the organization to trade “ashes for beauty,” creating a space for healing and advocacy.
Oh…and on top of all the servant leadership she is doing in Memphis, Alexia wrote a book called Transformation of the Heart: When God Makes Beauty Out of Ashes!
Through it all, MTR’s support remains central to Alexia’s life. The friendships and lessons of servant leadership she gained shape both her work in schools and her nonprofit. “MTR taught me that leadership is about serving others,” she says, a principle she passes on to the girls she mentors at Beauty for Ashes.
For Alexia, Memphis is home—a community she is determined to serve with excellence.
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