Adrianna Carter (’19) and Kylan Hadley (’20) met as students in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Master of Science in Social Work Nashville program. They became fast friends since they shared so much in common and now both are working to help Nashville youth.
“Adrianna and I became friends in our intro to macro social work class and remained close for the remainder of our program,” Hadley said. “Adrianna was a full-time student, so she graduated in 2019, a year before I did. She and I completed field placements at the Oasis Center [an organization providing a wide range of services for Nashville-area youth] at the same time. After that year she graduated and was hired by the Oasis Center, and I now serve as the ACE (All Children Excel) Nashville coordinator at Metro Public Health Department. Our vision is for Nashville to be a safe, stable, and nurturing community for all.”
During the pandemic, ACE Nashville has been focused on sharing its platform with Black organizers and ACE professionals. The organization’s most recent quarterly meeting was focused on healing racial trauma in North Nashville.
“Our leadership team has been invested in incorporating youth voice for some time,” Hadley explained. “We’ve been concerned about the impact of pandemic-related isolation and disruption on our youth, and at the same time are inspired by youth-led movements in our city and country that have led to so much positive change.”
As Carter continues her work with the Oasis Center and the Mayor’s Youth Council, she is also grateful for Hadley and the collaboration they have developed. “Working with Kylan was wonderful and reminded me of our time together in UT’s College of Social Work. College initially brought us together, and now our similar goals of helping the youth in Nashville allow us to keep working together.”
—
CONTACT
Angela Thomas (865-974-8638, athom165@utk.edu)