From WGU Graduate to Youth Advocate: Changing the Trajectory for Title I Students

On this episode of the WGU Alumni Podcast, we sit down with WGU alum Miesha Adams to explore how a pivotal middle school experience sparked a mission that’s now changing lives across Atlanta and beyond.

As the founder of Operation Level Up Leadership Youth Edition, Miesha is building a pathway for students in Title I schools to develop leadership skills, explore career opportunities, and see what’s possible beyond the limits often placed on them early. Her work blends leadership development, entrepreneurship, and real-world exposure—meeting students where they are and helping them level up.

Miesha shares how her journey through Teach for America, the pandemic, and her experience at WGU helped turn a question into a movement. It’s a powerful reminder that leadership starts with relationship, mentorship matters, and one moment can shape an entirely new future—not just for you, but for generations to come.

To learn more about the WGU Alumni experience, including events, benefits, and ways to stay connected, visit wgu.edu/alumni.

Transcript

Welcome And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Hey everybody, welcome back to the WGU Alumni Podcast. We're thrilled to have you tuning in yet again, everybody. My name is Jeff Burton. I'm the Senior Manager of Alumni Engagement here at WGU. And I have the great privilege of connecting on a daily basis with our inspiring graduates throughout the country. Graduates who are making a difference, who recognize and realize it's never too late to invest in themselves and in their communities. And I am super excited to introduce you to a WGU graduate living in the Atlanta area who is doing amazing things. Now, Myesha, we met about six months ago when I know that WGU and you and your organization came together for a great service project in Atlanta. That was super fun to meet you then, and I'm glad to be able to connect and again have you share more of your story with our growing alumni audience. So thank you for the time today.

SPEAKER_01 1:10

Absolutely. Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_00 1:12

Absolutely. Well, for background, uhisha, um, you earned your master's in management leadership back in 2020, and you are the founder of Operation Level Up Leadership Youth Edition, which is an organization serving youth in Title I schools in Atlanta. Uh now, how long have you lived in Atlanta?

SPEAKER_01 1:34

Oh, Atlanta since 2018. So, right out of undergrad, I moved right to Atlanta.

SPEAKER_00 1:41

Okay. Almost 10 years. Almost 10 years. And um, where did this idea come from to get this nonprofit and very uh again impactful organization started?

SPEAKER_01 1:54

So interestingly enough, I joined Teach for America after my undergraduate degree. So I got my undergraduate degree, I moved to Atlanta while I was moving. I enrolled in WGU, and then while I was enrolled in WGU, I applied for Teach for America. So having that business background and then now teaching in the classroom for two years, I was like, hmm, how can I impact students more outside of the common core standards? Like, because they're we're missing so much more and in depth with our students. So where can I fix that, not fix the target group, but fixate on that target group and then elevate them? So the idea really stemmed from I have this business background and I'm working in education and I love working with kids and just develop them in youth development, entrepreneurship, and leadership. So I was like, hmm, let's combine the three worlds and make them into one. Um, and then of course, my own experience just growing up, needing that extra support and that leadership and that mentorship and guidance. I was like, how can I put my experience and serve it to the students and the communities that I work with to make sure that they're getting the same thing?

SPEAKER_00 2:54

That's fantastic. Uh and I look forward to diving in and again learning a little bit more in depth of what you're doing and again what what kind of drove that as you shared here. But um, you know, in one sentence or less, like how would you say things have gone for you over the last, you know, five, five, ten years in in this space?

SPEAKER_01 3:13

One sentence, I would say um unexpectedly amazing.

SPEAKER_00 3:19

Very good.

SPEAKER_01 3:20

Unexpectedly amazing.

SPEAKER_00 3:22

In what ways? Elaborate on that, please.

SPEAKER_01 3:24

Yeah, so definitely unexpected because I didn't grow up saying I want to be an entrepreneur or I want to start a nonprofit and I want to do leadership development for youth. It really was based off experience. It's like things were happening in life that set me up to be in this role. It was almost like a calling and um sharing my experience. So unexpected in the terms of I had no idea as a kid or as a high school student that I would be running an entire nonprofit organization or working with students on this level. And then um, just amazing because of all the support and the community that has been pouring into us and that has been allowing us to like lock in and support their students and even like the families who are partying with us and encouraging us. Um, it's just been truly just amazing to see that they're still good in the world and there's still people who are willing to come forward and help the next generation.

How Schools Track Kids Early

SPEAKER_00 4:11

That's awesome. Now you you said a second ago that you didn't envision being an entrepreneur when you were younger. Where did your passion for youth development first begin?

SPEAKER_01 4:23

It began in middle school. So um I have a brother who's a year older than me, and he got kept back in second or third grade. I'm younger, so second or third grade. And I remember we were in eighth grade together doing high school tours, and um, my principal at the time and teachers, they had us on different tours. And we went home that night and asked my mom, like, you know, sign on permission slips. And my mom's like, get on us. Like, how come you got different permission slips? Like, where's yours? Like, check your bag, you gotta have it in there. Because she couldn't fathom that we're going to two different things on purpose. And um, so we went back to school the next day, and I asked my teachers, I wasn't the best student, like I got in trouble a lot, so I kind of knew everybody. Um, so I asked them, like, hey, you know, why are we going to two different field trips? Like, I want to go to the same ones my brother are going to. And um, one of one of my mentors was like, Yeah, well, you know, your brother got kept back. This is his track record. No matter, like, no one tested his genius. They was just like, you know, he's always getting in trouble. He got kept back. So we're gonna send him more on the public school track, you know, like the inner city track. And then for me, they put me on a bus where schools are being you have to get tested to get into them, like Boston Latin Academy and things like that. Um, and it was like, you know, you have potential, so we're gonna push you this way and push him this way. And in that moment, I realized it's so much deeper in education and what we think. It's not just about the core subjects. Our teachers are the pivotal point, and the people that we're with majority of the day are the ones who ultimately choose our path so early, and we get adjusted and complacent in it. And you know, parents are not in the school, so it's hard for the parents to be like, no, this is what's happening because they're not there. So it's really leaning on our teachers and our mentors and the other adults in our lives. And from that moment on, I started paying attention and was like, hmm, something is missing when it comes to just youth development as a whole, and that's where it stemmed from.

SPEAKER_00 6:11

Awesome, Aisha. Now, I understand you've worked in youth leadership development at the Kendenzi West School, and you now serve as a recruitment manager for Teach for America. So I'm curious, was there a specific moment when you realized that this was the work that you were meant to do?

SPEAKER_01 6:31

There was, and um, it happened during the pandemic. So um I started teaching in 2019 and then 2020 pandemic hit, and then I ended up staying in the classroom longer than expected. Um, during that pandemic period, about 2021. I had reached out to my Teacher America coach at the time, um, Wednesday. She's still there to this day, she's amazing. And I told her, like, you know, um, my impact in the classroom, it's there, but I don't think that's all that I can do. Like, there's just so much more that I'm interested in. And I see that these students don't have an outlet when it comes to developing themselves as a whole. We have sports, we have SGA, we have the after-school programs that are like, you know, um tumbling and theater and art, but we don't have programs for the students who don't fit in those boxes. And even if they do fit in those boxes, how are we developing them to make sure that they're sustainable on their own? Because at the end of the day, what I've learned, the teachers in the school community are those who you're around the most. So they're the ones who are really forming and shaping you as you're growing. So, how do we support that youth and development? Um, and my coach was like, hey, Teach for America has this program, the Social Innovations Fellowship at the time. She's like, I think you should do it, and it'll really like help you figure out what you want to do exactly. And I was like, all right, sounds like more work. And then I actually ended up doing it and decided I was like, wow, there's a whole community of entrepreneurs, innovators, and people who want to make a social impact in a nonprofit world. So just talking to them, getting their guidance, I realized like I really do like working with kids and I really want to give resources on how to be a strong leader. And no matter who you are, no matter if you're the quiet kid or the loud kid or you're the athlete, or if you're just somebody who's like, hey, I'm just here to get by. How do you use your strongest traits? But then also how does your team pull on your weakest traits to make you stronger? Um, and that's when I was like, okay, now how do we teach them leadership but make it interesting? Let's talk about the culture. Then I started throwing like culture, community service, college and career readiness in there. And then I trialed it at the Kineszi schools. I talked to the principal at the time, Hyla, and I was like, this is my idea. And she gave me the platform to run with it. She supported it, and um, we started the first leadership program ever at the Kineszi West Schools, and it it flourished. The parents loved it, the students loved it. We brought in so many different resources and organizations and clubs. Um, and then from there, I was like, let's let's open this up to other schools. So, and that's how the nonprofit started.

SPEAKER_00 8:55

Very cool. Thank you for taking us on that journey. Uh, what does your footprint look like today? How many students are you impacting on a daily basis?

SPEAKER_01 9:04

On a daily basis, about six, a little over 600 overall in my journey. Over 4,500 students have been impacted through our programs or one of our partnerships with the schools that we work with.

SPEAKER_00 9:16

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 9:18

Four years.

SPEAKER_00 9:19

Did you ever imagine when you first started it that it would grow to become something like it is today?

SPEAKER_01 9:24

Absolutely not. I thought it would be just like this small in-school program at the Kennesi schools. I thought like maybe I would mentor a couple of kids here and there. Um, I had no idea. It would get this big. I had no idea that I would publish a youth leadership curriculum. And um, so definitely amazing.

SPEAKER_00 9:42

If people are listening to this in our alumni community um and they they are moved by your mission, what you're doing, and they want to participate. Is there a way that they can connect with you or your organization? Is that something that you accept donations and and other resources from? Tell us a little bit about that and how people can get involved if they like.

SPEAKER_01 10:04

Absolutely. So we do have a website. It's called uh www.olul.org. So you can go there, you can see our mission, what's happening. Um, it also has a link in there to our donations. Um, we're actually doing a campaign on Gift Butter. So we're trying to raise$5,000 to support scholarships for our next season kids who are coming in because we do work with Title I schools and our families do go through different things. So we want to be able to provide them not only scholarships into our program, but also scholarships post-graduation. So we do have some seniors next year. So we were hoping to offer them a college scholarship to get them started. So we're starting that campaign. And then when it comes to direct contact, they can contact us if they go to the website. Our email is on there as well as our Instagram. We're more active on our Instagram than anything.

SPEAKER_00 10:50

Perfect. So again, if you're listening to Myesha and you're moved by her story and the wonderful things she's doing, and you want to participate, you want to give back in some way. Uh, I love this community because we love to support uh our own, but also knowing that by extension that that goes to kids who who need the support and who need the help, and it's definitely a way that you can make a difference. So thank you for sharing all of that. It's fantastic.

SPEAKER_01 11:14

Absolutely.

Finishing WGU Fast And Seeing ROI

SPEAKER_00 11:15

And yeah, appreciate all that you're doing. I want to transition and ask you a couple questions about your WGU journey. Um, you said that you needed flexibility, and uh you mentioned that you had moved to Atlanta after earning your undergrad degree. You were working full-time as well, but you wanted more. What did wanting more mean to you at that stage of your life?

SPEAKER_01 11:37

Yeah, so I decided um I actually, crazy story, I was working at mattress firm, fresh out of college, psychology, sociology degree, and um mattress firm hired me before I even moved to Atlanta. And I was like, okay, that's a pretty stable job. I can do that. But you can only imagine, you know, sitting in a store selling mattresses. It's not, it's not a busy season unless it's the holidays. So um, when I realized after that first week after training, I was like, oh wow, this is not fun for me. Like I'm used to mentorship, youth development, tutoring. Like I'm used to being around kids, like a busy environment. And funny enough, I was actually on Indeed at work, like just looking for jobs, and I came across like Teach for America, school-based jobs, and then I applied for Teach for America and I was like, huh, interesting. This could be a pathway because you didn't need an education degree um at the time. So for me, what was stabilizing, it was the same day to day. I would wake up, go to work, sell a mattress or a couple, talk to people, go home, and then I enrolled a WGU. So it was like go to work, do homework while I'm waiting for customers, talk to customers, go home. And when I needed a change, it was I missed making an impact. Don't get me wrong, I helped a lot of people who needed good mattresses for their bags, but it just didn't feel the same. It wasn't impactful like the work that I'm doing now, and that's the change that I needed. It wasn't doing it for me. So that's really what drove me to accelerate my degree at WGU. I was like, I want to be done in a year because I forgot if I can get done in a year, I have a master's, I can go in education, I can do all these things with this degree. So that's really was the driving force.

SPEAKER_00 13:14

And you you referenced you went through fairly quickly. I understand it took you about a year. Um probably thanks to some of those slow sales days, right? Where you were able to that's the great thing about WGU, that flexibility, right? You can study you know on quiet parts of your day. What was different about WGU that made it possible to earn your degree without pausing your life?

SPEAKER_01 13:35

The communication. So being transparent with my advisor at the time, I remember like our first conversation. I was like, hey, yeah, like I see that you can kind of pick and choose if you want to accelerate or do the two years for the master's program. And then she was like, Yeah, you know, it's very common, do the two years, it's very rare for people to do one year. I was like, Yeah, well, I might be your first rare case. I was like, I want to uh wrap it up in a year. Uh and she was like, Okay, at first, you you know, as an advisor, she's like, Are you sure it is a lot of coursework? And um, I was like, Yeah, let's just try it. So she was supportive in that. Um, yeah, we did have some times where I had to kind of like push of like, hey, no, I can do it. And she tried to get my best interest and was like, you know, just maybe one class, don't add three. But um, because of that communication, just her trusting and my capacity to do it, but then also with the professors, they were very open when it came to me saying, like, hey, I need more support. Or if I took a test and I'm like, I don't feel confident in it. Do you have office hours, or can you provide more resources or assist them that way? They were very like straightforward and providing me with resources and making sure that I felt confident taking the test again or getting it right the first time.

SPEAKER_00 14:41

That's cool. And one thing I love about your story is the return on investment, right? You you, as I mentioned earlier, you were wanting more. And uh immediately after graduating, I understand you really got a pretty good ROI, and you've shared that your first job after graduating paid about$10,000 more than your peers because of your degree. How did that feel, not just financially, but also personally?

SPEAKER_01 15:09

It felt like a silent achievement. So I didn't grow up with all the resources. Um, I didn't even think I would go to college. That was never on my radar till my senior year, like last-minute planning. Um, so then to not only get my undergraduate degree, but then to get my master's degree in such a short time frame and start a job as a teacher, as an educator, um, it was very much a silent achievement of something that I thought I never even thought actually was imaginable or achievable. So then to have a conversation after a year of being in the education field, you know, when contracts come back out, everybody's like, you know, what's your contract looking like? And um having those open dialogues with my colleagues and sharing, like, hey, yeah, this is where I'm making. And they're like, You're a first-year teacher, how in the world? And I'm like, Yeah, they honored my master's degree. So having that, um, it felt good for myself internally because I did something for me. It was like I did something right. And you know, um, being the first in my family with the master's degree, it was like I can show them like it paid off, and I can say, like, hey, I saw the return on investment immediately and have that impact. Um, yeah, it was it felt pretty good.

SPEAKER_00 16:18

That's cool. And I love that you referenced that. The first in your family to earn a master's degree. Uh, and I understand your mom even applied to WGU after seeing what the degree did for you. Tell me a little bit more about that.

SPEAKER_01 16:32

So, my mom, she's been a nurse forever. Like she's worked as a college nurse, she's been in the medical field. Um, and right now she's in a spot where she's a supervisor, but it's hard to move up because you don't have that master's degree or that bachelor's degree. So um, after sharing my story with my mom and being like, you know, WGU, like it's a pathway, you could do it at home. You know, you work all Monday through Friday, most assignments are due Sundays, like just talking to her, humanizing the program, and be like, yeah, and they meet you where you're at. And then she was like, huh. So then she listened a little bit more, she did her research, and then uh she ultimately applied. And for me, that was such an achievement moment in my family because so often we think that, oh well, because you couldn't do it, I can't do it. We never think like, because I can do it, now my parents can do it. We always go down the generational line, we never think to go upward. So in that moment, I was like, Really, mom? Like, you're because I did it, you want to do it too? So she was like, Yeah, and that for me, um, that was that was huge for me to hear. How many people can say that they've impacted their parent to that point to where they don't feel like they're too old or that they don't have enough time, or well, my kids already did it, so it's too late for me, and actually go ahead and do it. That that showed me so many lessons in that one one action.

Building Leaders Through Tours And Mentors

SPEAKER_00 17:52

Talk about generational impact right there, and and maybe a little bit differently, as you just indicated. Uh it it goes it goes both ways. So well, very cool. Well, thank you for sharing all of that. Hope your mom's doing good. She had a good experience at WGU. Good good to hear. I I want to shift back now and talk a little bit more about the organization, uh, Operation Level Up Leadership, the youth edition. Tell us a little bit more, let's let's dive a little bit deeper here. What is the mission behind the organization?

SPEAKER_01 18:23

Yeah, so our mission is to provide leadership, entrepreneurship, college and career readiness services to our students. So it's two-tiered. We work with middle school students on leadership development, building out their character, making sure they have that solid foundation. And then when they're in high school, we focus on college and career readiness. So we take them on the college tours, we build out their resume. We can dive deeper into that later. But yeah, we have we have a pretty extensive uh programming with them.

SPEAKER_00 18:49

How is that being received amongst the students?

SPEAKER_01 18:52

Great, they love it. Um, we work with students. A lot of our students have never like traveled out of Georgia. So, like, we just took our group to uh FAMU. We took them down to Florida. Uh, we did a nice little overnight trip with them. Um, we've taken them to like Boston and New York uh while they're on these trips. It's not just fun. Everyone hears it and they're like, we want to go with you guys, but um they definitely have to do their research beforehand. We do programming leading up to it, like different workshops and prepping them. And then while they're there, they engage in community service, they do college tours, we do uh career development, so talking to different professionals, and then we always we love a good team building activity, so we're always doing something um to get them developing their leadership skills and working together. But um, they they love it, they love the challenge. There are points in times though where they've had enough, where they're like, listen, y'all push us too hard, but then when they achieve the thing that we put them in front of, they're very appreciative, and we can see them trickling down and mentoring their siblings and their friends.

SPEAKER_00 19:50

Now, you you just mentioned mentoring. Uh, you know, you focus on that leadership, college, career readiness, and the mentoring piece. Why is mentorship such a critical piece of this equation, would you say?

SPEAKER_01 20:03

People hear leadership and they think of the person like the boss. That's often the common knowledge of a leader. You're at the top and people are following you. So we teach our students like, yeah, there are leaders who are like that, but we want you to be adaptive. We want you to be able to take the front seat, but also take the back seat when you when it's time, know your strengths and weaknesses. So, leadership we're teaching always across the board. With our youth mentor program, we're teaching them how to mentor it's a lot different than leadership. Mentor is you guiding the next generation, is you being supportive, is you being on the same level as a person that you're mentoring and understanding where they're from and sharing your experiences. So, not gatekeeping anything, but we're giving them resources so that they can go teach the next person. So we tell them all the time, like, yeah, just because your friends aren't in the program, share this resource with them. You all want to work at six flags, right? Teach them how to make a resume. Um, that's mentoring. You're you're helping. Um, and that's such a critical piece because as a leader, it's easy to lead to tell people to follow you. You can intimidate them, you can force their hand, you can say, hey, this is my title, but to mentor them and cultivate them is a lot different. And we want to make sure our students have that so that they're able to lead and adapt and mentor in any situation, in any setting that they're at, that they're in, especially if they're athletes. We need you to be able to mentor and be okay with standing up against, let's say you're in a team and then the group wants to do this. We want you to be okay letting the freshman know, or letting the little guy know, or the next person behind you say, like it's it's okay, I got your back, and not just I'm a leader because I'm the captain.

SPEAKER_00 21:34

I love your story because you're pairing the things that you learned through your education with what you're building at your organization, and you're also serving professionally in education leadership. So tell us what have you learned about leadership, really real leadership, since you've earned your master's degree?

SPEAKER_01 21:54

I've learned that leadership is more than doing. It's more than showing. Showing it's a relationship. So to be a strong leader, to lead effectively, you need to have really good relationships and honest relationships. Um, especially with leadership education, working in that field now with Teach for America and working with college students on their journey. It's pulling out like this generation. I'm noticing, they kind of water down their achievements. So building that confidence of like, hey, like you got it. Like, look at your resume. Like, yes, you're a part of a club, and it's okay you're not an executive board member, but look at all the things that you're doing. You're part of this initiative and really putting in people their light. So a lot of people don't see the light that they have. So it's pulling that out and pointing that out. So I feel like what's what I've learned throughout all of these journeys is a leader isn't someone who just tells you what to do or shows you the way. It's someone who works through it with you, but is also honest in their approach, but then also giving you the tools to succeed. Not just saying, hey, come with me, now you're successful, but saying, Hey, to get here, I can show you the way, but it's up to you to take the keys and get in the car and drive up the way.

Community Support, Vision, And Final Advice

SPEAKER_00 23:05

Yeah. Oh, very cool. Uh, as I mentioned earlier, we we met, and I know a lot of folks from WGU got to meet you in Atlanta when we came together in that um WGU Gives Back Service Initiative. What was that like to see your alma mater in the WGU community show up uh and support you?

SPEAKER_01 23:26

It was very strange in a good way. In a good way.

SPEAKER_00 23:31

Tell me about that.

SPEAKER_01 23:32

Um touching back to where I grew up with not many resources. So, and in the environment, it wasn't like, okay, you have this idea, I'm gonna help you. It was like you have an idea, that's cool. What's next? Like, you know, like there was no support in that. So there was a moment during that event where I just paused and just looked around the room and I saw people writing cards, I saw people stacking bags, I saw people giving their input at the interview station. And in that moment, I felt so much gratitude. Um, it was great to know that an organization that I pulled into as a student is now pouring back into me. And also, even the alumni who were in the room and the alumni the night beforehand who are being honored, to see an organization as large as WGU pour back in and be so careful with their alumni, alumni to that extent really meant a lot. And I remember telling um Nicolina, I was like, hey, whatever you need, I got you. And he and Jeff, when we met, I was like, I would love to be on your podcast just to see you all pour into us and the kids that we're working with. It means so much. And even the stuff that we did there, it's still making an impact today. Like we're still partnering and we're still donating backpacks and laptops.

SPEAKER_00 24:42

That's awesome. Well, you know, speaking for for for Nikki, for myself, for all those at WGU employees, alumni, current students, it really was a special, a special weekend to be able to partner with you and and knowing that you you are going and doing such good in the community there in Atlanta was was super fun. So we'll have to figure out and we'll have to do this again and and and get this on the books on a regular basis. How does that sound?

SPEAKER_01 25:09

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 25:10

That would be fun.

SPEAKER_01 25:11

The kids were like, the kids in my organization, he was like, How come we couldn't go? I was like, You were in school during the time. So definitely get them, get them in there.

SPEAKER_00 25:18

I I love that. That's really cool. I I want to ask you a little about the long-term vision for operation level up leadership. If we have this conversation five years from now, uh, what do you hope that we're gonna be celebrating?

SPEAKER_01 25:31

A lot. I hope that we'll be celebrating um opportunities like for my program, for the youth mentorship program for high school students to be a no-cost program for it to be able to be funded without the students having to worry about any membership fees. Because you know, with the with the government and the lack of funding, we've had to cut back a little bit. So um, that's been pretty tough. But then also just making sure that we're able to transport our students. Our toughest battle right now is transportation because we have such a large group. And it's like, okay, now we got to figure out how to get a bus or a van or something. So I hope in five years we're celebrating the growth, we're celebrating like just commitment to serving our students and making sure that we're having affordable programs for them, getting them where they need to be, exposure outside of just Georgia, but in the world. But then also, I want to see all of my students go to college. Like just bare minimum, I want you all to go to college. And if you don't want to go to college, that's fine. But I want you to be successful and happy in what you do, and I want you to feel supported. That's the biggest thing. My kids, I love them so much. So I just want them to feel supported and all that they do.

SPEAKER_00 26:36

What a great answer. And you can tell, you can feel your passion and your love and your support that you offer them. That's fantastic. What advice would you give someone who maybe feels stuck? Maybe they're working full-time, they're drink, they're dreaming bigger, but they're really unsure of what that next step is. What would you say to them?

SPEAKER_01 26:55

I would say take the risk. The worst case scenario is that someone tells you no, or that the application doesn't go through. You didn't lose anything, you didn't gain anything. Take the risk and also reach out to your community. WGU has a large alumni community. Tap in, make the connections, and I promise you, like people will help you. Like they will say, okay, this is how I did it. Let's talk, let's brainstorm. Um, and that was the biggest thing that was uncomfortable for me was asking for help and just guidance from other adults. Um, so once you break that barrier and ask those questions and get into those circles and just find your tribe, you'll take off from there.

SPEAKER_00 27:34

Good advice. That's awesome. Uh Myesha, this has been super fun. And I want to pivot for just a moment uh into what we call from the nest, a rapid fire round. Um, so if you're game to be put on the hot seat, I've got some just rapid questions that I'm gonna fire at you. You ready to go?

SPEAKER_01 27:52

Let's do it.

SPEAKER_00 27:52

All right, let's do it. Uh are you an early bird or a night apple?

SPEAKER_01 27:56

Early bird, definitely.

SPEAKER_00 27:58

How about pineapple on a pizza? Yes or no?

SPEAKER_01 28:01

Absolutely not.

SPEAKER_00 28:02

One word to describe finishing your master's degree.

SPEAKER_01 28:06

Exhilarating.

SPEAKER_00 28:07

What's the best thing about living in Atlanta?

SPEAKER_01 28:09

The community.

SPEAKER_00 28:11

How about a podcast or a book you're currently listening to or reading? Best leadership quality every young person should develop.

SPEAKER_01 28:22

Mentorship.

SPEAKER_00 28:23

Favorite productivity habit.

SPEAKER_01 28:25

Schedule first thing in the morning.

SPEAKER_00 28:27

How about a quote for a module if you live by?

SPEAKER_01 28:30

Worst case scenario is that the answer is no, but it's okay because there's another door. Find a door to go for.

SPEAKER_00 28:36

And what makes you proud to be a WGU alumni?

SPEAKER_01 28:39

The support, community, engagement, just the love that you feel when you're in the space as a WGU alumni and school is in.

SPEAKER_00 28:47

Well, my age, that was fantastic. You're firstly off the hot seat. You did it. Sincerely, for all of us at WGU, I just want to say thank you for representing us so well for all that you're doing. This has been a great interview. And um I've learned a lot more. Again, I knew a little bit about it, but just kind of knowing a little bit about your backstory and and the things that you're doing and your vision for the future. It's just great to connect. If people want to connect with you, you've given the uh the website address, but if people wanted to uh connect with you personally, are you on LinkedIn? Uh what's the best way for people to connect?

SPEAKER_01 29:24

The best and quickest way is going to be LinkedIn. So Myesha Adams on LinkedIn. I'll go ahead and add you right back, and you could just send me a message, we can go from there or email. So you can email admin at operationlevelup.org. I'll get that as well. And then, of course, if you want to keep up with us on Instagram, it'll be O L U Leadership on Instagram.

SPEAKER_00 29:47

Awesome. Well, thank you again. Thank you for the time. This has been great. As we conclude the interview, I'd love to give you the final words. So, uh, what words of wisdom do you have for me and for our audience out there across the country?

SPEAKER_01 30:00

Jeff, for you, keep doing what you're doing. Just this platform is amazing for WGU alum, especially because it's a virtual program. It allows us to connect on a different level and to see who else is out there. So I truly appreciate you for having this platform and making this possible for us. And then to the world, take the first step. Um, you're not gonna know what you're missing until you actually try. So lean into the communities that you have, take the first step, live boldly, dream bigly, and then always make sure that you have a plan beforehand.

SPEAKER_00 30:31

I love it. Well, thank you again. It's it's great to see you and appreciate all that you do.

SPEAKER_01 30:36

All right, thank you, Jeff.

SPEAKER_00 30:38

Awesome, thank you. And thank you to our listeners for tuning in to the WGU Alumni Podcast. If today's episode inspired you, please share it with someone who needs that reminder that it's never too late and that education can change more than just one life, as Myesha continues to do on a daily basis. And as always, we invite you to visit wgu.edu slash alumni to learn more about the benefits, resources, and ways to stay connected to the greatest alumni community on the planet. Thank you everybody for tuning in and stay safe.