Pine Bluff is a community whose people hold it up just as much as its land does. Maybe more than anywhere else, the size of Pine Bluff makes me feel intimately connected to every mover and shaker and move and shake.

This can be a double–edged sword, as the ability to be intimately connected to progress can build a lot of hope, but it also comes with responsibility. Holding up and building a community is more than just strong hands; it's being willing to invest time, energy, and heart into a future I might not see until decades later.

Community seems to find me wherever I go. As a Pine Bluff native and teacher at Pine Bluff High School, I see mini-communities form, fall apart, and rebuild every year among my students. At the same time, I see more lasting bonds built among students with a shared purpose--even if that purpose isn't always in alignment with school rules. When people have a goal they're mutually working toward, the connections they make are harder to shake, and their passion for success is nourished in support.

To help students find that nourishment, I created the Business Leaders in Training (B2LIT) Scholars club at PBHS to create a space where students can start building professional skills. With the club, my students and I have........

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