Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha – Nicole Terry.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
In 1996, at the age of 12, I’d just stepped off a 72-seat passenger school bus, wearing an inversed, sun visor with the name “Mandy” airbrushed across in red, white, and blue spray paint. I was there with my summer camp group at Centennial Olympic Park, the 21-acre green space nestled in between the Georgia World Congress Center, the OMNI (now State Farm Arena), Georgia Dome, now Mercedes Benz Stadium, CNN Center, Marietta, and Baker Streets. (Say that five times fast!) Having just finished our “voyage” from southwest Atlanta with 60 other campers on the bus, the hot summer sun was certainly harsh, however, dashing through the Centennial Olympic Fountain of Rings offered a unique way to get some respite from the heat. This trip was one of several that I enjoyed with my summer camp program.
For many of my campmates, it was their first time downtown. Although we were all life-long Atlanta residents, many of us had not left our communities. The furthest we had gone at any one time may have been to school or camp field trips. That hot day in July was no exception. For most, exposure to a new place was gained; for me, it was perspective. Fast-forward 15 years and I became the program director of the very program, Camp Best Friends, that played such a pivotal role in my life. Since then, I’ve worked only in community engagement and development and currently a Program Manager of Neighborhood Planning Units with City Planning. I started a non-profit in 2007, called the #8DollarChallenge, a Social media challenge for friends and followers to take $8 to their local dollar store and purchase toiletry/school/winter items to benefit homeless youth and teens in Metro Atlanta. Since its inception, we have provided over $15,000 worth of items to local organizations, schools, recreation centers, and pantries that services these populations. Anything that helps my city “Uhlanna” and its constituents, I’m an advocate.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course, it was smooth! When is it not? LOL. No… it took me a long time to find my voice and use it for those underrepresented populations. The reason being, I still saw myself in their shoes. I had my son at 19 years old, and it forced me to leave school at Alabama A & M, where I had a scholarship which in my mind, was the key to me doing something different in my family. Getting pregnant at that age, I felt all my plans were out the window. Ironically enough, while enrolled full-time in college and in desperate need of employment, the same department that nurtured and cared for me in my youth welcomed me with open arms and hired me for my first full-time position.
While grateful to Atlanta and its programming, I am also fortunate to recognize some of the challenges that can come with producing quality programs. As a “product” of the system, I was more able to recognize what needed to be amended. My involvement in the city’s recreational activities let me know that post-secondary education was an option and I could do more than what my neighborhood taught me. But, what about the youth who cannot afford to participate in such activities? Many youth and teens are not aware of available resources that can help them achieve any goal they have. As the director of youth development programming, I had the opportunity to expose youth to their endless options while retaining their interest and motivating them to return and do the same for others.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As a native and a former employee of the City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation, I am fortunate enough to realize the impact the department had on my upbringing as I participated in its programming through my adolescent years. I had team coaches, dance instructors, and camp counselors, alongside the guidance of my mother, to rear me. It was Camp Best Friends that allowed me to discern and engage in the diversity that my city produced. It was the dance and athletic programs that expanded my extracurricular activities, providing an outlet that decreased the amount of free time that often leaves youth to troublesome activities. It was the Junior Lifeguard Program that introduced me to my first job and allowed me to work directly with youth, giving me a firsthand look at children with problems that outweighed mine. It was there that I also learned my position with the city was more than a title. I served as a mentor, role model, coach, and counselor to the children who frequented the pool. As I matriculated throughout my career, I learned that everyone might not see my value as I did and ultimately had to walk away from what I thought was my dream job managing youth development. That actually opened my eyes to my passion, genuinely being community engagement and development.
Now, as a program manager with the City of Atlanta’s Neighborhood Planning Units, I get to engage constituents of all ages as well as help them develop and remain in their neighborhoods. I get to help them find resources that fit the communities they live in and assist with growth. While I am still passionate about youth development and always keeping up with trends and changes, I launched my business, Terry Programs to provide consultation for recreational, private, for-profit, non – profit, educational, youth development and organizations. I’ve received contracts from organizations varying in entertainment such as DrumLine Live, LLC serving as their marketing and recruitment coordinator for their stage show; the infamous band performing with Netflix’s “Beyonce: Homecoming” as well as the program director for Precision, Inc. Summer Band Camp. Still committed to youth, I have provided consultation for programs spanning from Oakland, California – Seatle, Washington, and of course, Atlanta, Georgia. Allowing me to share my expertise and knowledge of youth and program development.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
As a child, I was an introverted writer, reader, and nerd while at home and at school. Very much a creative. But outside with my cousins (brothers), and being the only girl and oldest, I was a tomboy who could participate in all the sports (no matter how rough) and, unfortunately, all the fights, too. Reading really was a safe haven for me because I was a super tall and skinny girl who wore glasses and kept to herself. Which in any bully’s world, I was an ideal candidate to taunt. The problem was, I loathe bullies and I didn’t intimidate easily. I had all-male cousins and siblings, so a few words here and there, I grew accustomed to. Oddly enough, when people were picking on me, my ego was so high (LOL) I literally assumed they were talking about me so much because they liked me. Logically it made sense.
And my attitude towards everything reflected that. Some would say it was because I was a Leo and astrologically, we are said to be arrogant or self-centered. But literally, if people were talking about your shoes, clothes, hair, body… just you in general, why not flip the narrative? I became more of an extrovert when I found my voice in music. I started playing musical instruments and joined the Douglass High School marching band in 7th grade, Being a 12 year old amongst high schoolers and playing at these games and Battle of the Bands, I was on cloud 9. The crowds, the growth, the family atmosphere… it was everything. Then music became a huge part of my life as I worked hard on my instruments, became section leader my second year at Mays High School (irony I marched at rival schools) as I knew it was my way to college. And it was. I had several music scholarships and soccer. My strength was definitely on my instrument.
Contact Info:
- Email: samanthaterry17@outlook.com
- Website: www.SamanthaNTerry.com
- Instagram: @SamanthaTerry17
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SDotTerry
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamjolinaJolie
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQRvAzqBK2lXvp4G-U0ZimA/
Image Credits
Brandon Graham (1st image)
