Young Brothers Academy would like to announce the birth of two new scholarships named after two prominent community leaders here in the Upstate of South Carolina. The first scholarship was named The Rhonda Rawlings Scholarship, this scholarship will be awarded to a high school senior who displays the work in becoming a community leader in their own right.
The second scholarship was named The Stacey D. Mills scholarship and will be given to a high school senior each year within Young Brothers Academy who has embodied the core principles of the program. Congratulations again to Ms. Rhonda Rawlings and Paster Stacey D. Mills.
The two leaders were selected due to their steadfast support of YBA and willingness to plant seeds in our youth.
For more information on the program, please visit youngbrothersacademy.org #YBATHEWAY

​On February 2nd, Justus Cox, Executive Director of Young Brothers Academy, was awarded the Henrietta Sullivan Mentoring Excellence Award by the Greenville Mentoring Collaborative. 

The Greenville Mentoring Collaborative Excellence Awards are an opportunity to recognize outstanding leadership and commitment to supporting youth through mentoring relationships! Presented quarterly by Greenville Mentoring Collaborative, this award honors unsung community heroes for their tremendous contributions to young people and the mentoring field.

Greenville Mentoring Collaborative grew out of a critical need to find mentors to serve the over 300 youth coming out of Greenville’s juvenile detention center each year. The Greenville County Juvenile Detention Facility Coordinator, Mark Calligaris, had difficultly finding organizations who were mentoring youth and more specifically organizations that were willing to mentor incarcerated youth.  Barriers included limited program enrollment periods, funding instability and mentor attrition. 
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In March 2018, Mark began convening meetings with county mentoring programs to get a better understanding of available resources and to devise a plan to expand and improve mentoring efforts in Greenville. The initiative quickly generated interest and by October 2018, over 40 organizations, including Greenville County School District, Goodwill GoodGuides, Mentor Upstate, Phoenix Center, and United Way of Greenville were devoting time, space, and resources to respond to the need for more mentors and greater support for mentoring programs.
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Today the collaborative consists of over 40 partners including direct mentoring service providers, juvenile justice and social services, educational providers and youth development organizations.

via: https://www.gvlmentoring.org/home

​Welcome to Greenville Business Magazine’s 2023 Best & Brightest 35 and Under! This is our 29th year of recognizing the business and community leaders who are making an impact in our state.

These men and women are young, but they’re committed to making a difference in their communities and the business world. They are attorneys, medical professionals, architects, CEOs, nonprofit leaders, artists, bankers, and more.

We salute these young leaders, and we look forward to seeing the contributions they will make in the years to come. Each person is unique, and it is our privilege to tell their stories.

We will be celebrating these honorees at an event in Greenville during the month of September. Congratulations to all!

Justus Cox

Age 30

Assistant Principal/Executive Director

Legacy Early College/Young Brothers Academy

I am a husband, father, educator, motivational speaker, and mentor. I am a graduate of Anderson University, where I received my bachelor’s degree in elementary education, and just recently my master’s in administration and supervision. I am now the middle school assistant principal at Legacy Early College and executive director for Young Brothers Academy.

In 2013, I was awarded the Roy Jones Director Award for my work, dedication, and service during an internship with the Call Me MISTER program. In 2016, I was awarded the Upstate Diversity Leadership Award for Outstanding College Student by the Riley Institute. I also received The Emerging Leader Community Award from the Anderson County United Way African American Leadership Society. In 2018, I was recognized as The Block’s “Black History Maker” for the month of February.

In 2018, I was blessed with an opportunity to spend a month in Ghana, West Africa, on a Fulbright Hays Scholarship studying the connection between Ghanaian and African American history, culture, and language.

I am passionate about serving the community that served me because I know I would not be as far as I am today without my village.

Your favorite quote and why:

“Be who you needed when you were younger.”

This is my favorite quote because it reflects my life’s mission. Growing up I was faced with many challenges, but I had many people to see the greatness in me before I was able to see it in myself. I want to be the person who sees the greatness in our youth until they can see it for themselves.

What is your definition of a successful leader?

A successful leader has the ability to be self-aware of their strengths and weaknesses and be able to identify the same in the people they lead, putting them in positions to be successful. Successful leaders allow people to operate in their strengths while supporting them in their weaknesses.

Breylon Jones

Age 30

Dean of Scholars/Chief Operating Officer

Legacy Early College/Young Brothers Academy

I was born and raised in Greenville. I am the happy husband to Barbara Bennett Jones of Greenville and the loving father to Bellami Jones. I graduated from South Carolina State University where I received a Bachelor of Arts in broadcasting communications in 2015. After graduation, I served as a promotional assistant at Summit Media, where I then worked my way up to on-air personality on 107.3 JAMZ and Hot 98.1. Currently, I serve as the dean of scholars for fifth grade at Legacy Early College.

Along with co-founders Justus Cox and Andre Sullivan, we founded the Young Brothers Academy (YBA), a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to mold the minds of young leaders in our community through education, empowerment, and exposure. In my personal life, I am a freelance videographer within my community where I perform videography for weddings, parties, showers, sports highlights, and more.

What is your definition of a successful leader?

A successful leader is someone who creates other successful leaders. Be such a good leader that those that follow you can lead others. A good leader is someone who can and will get in the trenches with everyone he works with. A good leader is also a good follower because, “to become a chief you must first be an Indian.”

What advice would you give your 18-year-old self?

I’d tell myself to do what makes you happy and feel fulfilled. Trust your God given gifts. You are a change maker so don’t let others’ opinions sway you from the things you love. God will use your gifts to make room for you. Spend time with your loved ones because they won’t be here forever.
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www.greenvillebusinessmag.com/2023/09/15/465337/greenville-best-and-brightest-2023