UNIVERSAL CITY, Texas — From the countryside, the big city, and traveling the world, Brianna Young seems to standout wherever she goes.
Her sincere and accepting nature is a people magnet, helping shape the leader she is today at Judson Early College Academy. In fact when the Principal is gone, they call on Young to lead the campus.
KENS 5 Anchor Sarah Forgany surprised Young at the school with the EXCEL Award, alongside representatives from KENS 5 partner Credit Human who arrived with a big $1,000 check for Young.
"I was born in Longview, Texas.”
Brianna Young is full of surprises if you ask her, “We had goats, sheep, cows, horses. My little hidden secret but I'm a country girl at heart,” said Young as she let out a big laugh.
Deep in the heart of this Texas Girl, Young has a special place for children.
“She has transformed special education instruction on our campus,” Principal Greg Brower said while describing Young and why Judson ISD nominated her for the KENS 5 EXCEL Award.
“She's actually helping students obtain an associate's degree while in high school,” Brower said, “High level, high level rigor.”
Young oversees special education students from 9th to 12th grades at the college preparatory school, Judson Early College Academy. She helps them with assignments, daily activities, community service, scholarships and future planning.
"Special education is a field that not everybody knows that much about,” Young said, “but we're expected to know a lot of answers.”
Students on campus consider her not only a teacher but a mentor and a friend as well.
“Ms. Young, motivated me to meet new people and make friends,” Said one Sophomore, who added if it wasn’t for Young, he would’ve had a much more difficult start at the school.
Other students chimed in saying Young has helped them in so many different ways, “She helped me have that open environment and being able to go to someone if I’m ever struggling with assignments and grades.”
For Young, it’s rewarding helping these soon-to-be adults. She says much of what she's done prior to teaching guided her on this path. Things like her personal journeys of traveling the world, studying abroad, and even receiving a rare invite to attend a World Health Organization conference in Switzerland to watch her Professor speak on a global stage.
“It was so surreal,” Young said, “ and that was my first time traveling abroad, seeing the World Health Organization building and just seeing my professor, Doctor David Wiley present."
Priceless experiences and knowledge that Young says she shares with her students as they transition from high school to adulthood and begin looking to their future careers.
“One of my favorite conversations to have with the kids is to have them think further along down the road and what does that look like?,” Young said, “Having those conversations with the kids of, okay, do you want to go to college? If so, what do you want to major in, and what do you want to do for a living? Is the military an option?”
Young says these are all crucial conversations as students are slowly learning how to become independent.
“It’s important for children to see and get to know what they want to do when they graduate high school because for a lot of adults with disabilities, it is a challenge.”
Young says her upbringing drew her to the field of Special Education, “ I had family members who have disabilities and so I think growing up it was just something that was natural. My upbringing shed light on the complexities or the difficulties that families have to go through.”
She says giving her students the best support means pulling in a big team comprised of teachers, siblings and parents and Young says no topic is off limits “ Talking with parents who have children with disabilities or families that are navigating how to raise a child with a disability about things like accessing medication and having insurance.”
At the same time, Young says being patient with her students is key to ensuring their progress and eventual success.
“A lot of times we want our students to perform how we want them to perform. We have to realize that the students are on their own journey,” Young said, “It may not be where we want them to be because we want them to perform tomorrow or today, like get it together, understand this, understand that, but they will (eventually). It might be at a different time than what we expect.”
Young spends much of her time one-on-one with students giving them specialized attention but she’s also not afraid to juggle multiple responsibilities. Sometimes, her role involves every student on campus. Principal Brower says when he’s gone, they call on Young to lead the entire campus.
“That completely changes everything when you're in administrative shoes,” Young added, “You have to think about the safety of the whole campus, not just the students."
Young says she hopes to transition to assistant principal or principal when she’s finished with her Master’s degree but for now, her greatest joy is watching her students finish and graduate from what she calls a rigorous and challenging four year program. However the end result she says is the greatest reward for both students and teacher.
“Some of them are the first in their families to graduate from college,” Young said, “I almost cry pretty much every graduation because they did it. They did it.”
Winners of the KENS 5 EXCEL Award are nominated by their school district.
KENS 5 and partner Credit Human work with 19 area school districts yearly to honor winners with the award and a $1,000 check.
This is the KENS 5 EXCEL Awards 25th years partnering with Credit Human to honor local teachers. If you’d like to watch past winners, click on kens5.com/EXCEL.