Today we’d like to introduce you to Bianca Johnson.
Bianca, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m from a relatively small town Hollandale, MS and moved to Atlanta in 2010. From a young age, I was heavily involved in academic endeavors such as camps and after-school programs, where available. Education has always been very important to me and I’ve always wanted to start a foundation or nonprofit. It’s been a dream of mine since high school. I also was a member of Future Educators Association (FEA) among many other organizations. After graduating, I attended Spelman College where I earned my Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biology.
Originally after graduating college, I planned to attend medical school but did not due to multiple reasons. I started working for a startup company that specializes in “green technology” material science and currently still works there. Although I am fond of the work that I do, I felt that I could do a bit more outside of the field; something that I’ve always wanted to do but never had time. So after a day out with a friend, I sat in my car and just wondered-“What else could I be doing?” After deep thought, all the things that I could do hit me and starting an after-school program was just one of the ideas. So together, we combined our knowledge, outlined a program and The Academy for Exceptional Youth was born.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Due to COVID-19, a great deal of the programs is on hold as it had just started in January of this year. Although learning is important, the health and safety of the students we plan to serve is more important. Currently, we are still in the developmental stages as we are trying to work around the current circumstances. At the moment, there is no a brick and mortar establishment but a plan to provide a virtual service is in the works. In the meantime, I noticed there was a need in the community and as the executive director of a nonprofit decided to join in and do what I could. We hosted a food drive to help those most affected by the coronavirus quarantine. I also reached out to a nonprofit organization, Blessings Working Together, and was invited to join the efforts of multiple nonprofits hosting a backpack drive/giveaway for students in the metro Atlanta area.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with The Academy for Exceptional Youth – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
The program’s mission is to benefit low income students in grades K-2 (currently only servicing Dekalb county) by using smaller class sizes after school to help them with the state required curriculum. We plan to assess the learning styles of each student and assist them based on what we find. Education is very important to me and knowing that students typically do not get the proper after-school care they need due to cost bothers me. That’s why we decided to make the program free of cost to parents/guardians and the best way we could do that would be to make the program a nonprofit organization. Not only does the program aim to assist students with their academics, we plan to provide other opportunities that the students typically would not get to experience. It is my sincerest hopes that by starting with this stepping stone, we can improve our educational system, better our healthcare system, and rid social inequality. In my honest opinion, all it takes is a bit of care in the areas that are often forgotten. In those areas are some of the best future engineers, doctors, activists, etc. but they simply lack resources.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
In the future, I plan to further expand the program based on positive feedback and funding to other parts of the state/southeast region. We would also like to expand the program to other grades and eventually a school of its own. There are other nonprofit initiatives that I plan to develop but they will take a bit of time.
Lillie Pads for Change – A nonprofit organization that benefits disadvantaged women of the Atlanta area by providing them with hygiene products and other services.
B.E. Health and Wellness Center – A nonprofit organization that will provide free of charge services such as exercise programs, cooking classes, health screenings, etc. This particular initiative will take quite a bit of planning and volunteer help from professionals.
There is also a nonprofit that is dear to me, however it hasn’t been properly named yet. It is in honor of a friend of mine’s daughter who passed away from cancer. We are still in the planning stages of the organization,
Other than that, I am taking the opportunities as they come to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theacademyforexceptionalyouth.org
- Email: info@theacademyforexceptionalyouth.org
- Instagram: instagram.com/forexceptionalyouth
- Twitter: twitter.com/tweet4aey
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