Alexa Owens started going to the Boys and Girls Club of Central Mississippi (BGCCM) when she was nine years old. She loved going to the BGCCM because it was a place that was different from school and home. She calls it a “neutral zone” where she could explore different subjects that were not accessible at home or school. Alexa enjoyed going to the BGCCM because she learned a lot about her self and she met many mentors that helped her develop into the woman she is today.

After going to the BGCCM for ten years, she started volunteering at the club when she was a senior in high school. In 2012, she applied for a summer job at the BGCCM and started getting paid to work for the place she had come to love.

Alexa went to Virginia for two years to attend college, but found her way back to Jackson, Mississippi in 2014. When she got home she immediately started looking for a job at the BGCCM. Shortly after returning to Jackson, she was hired as the Athletic Coordinator for the BGCCM, Capitol Unit.

The BGCCM made a meaningful impact on Alexa’s life and she encourages other kids to attend. Alexa said, “I remember making bonds with the staff at the club and they wrote me letter’s of recommendation, exposed me to different grants that I was eligible for, and I continue to have relationships with them today.”

Since she has been working at the BGCCM she can see how kids look up to as a role model and she enjoys mentoring them. She says she helps them with life skills, values and morals, something she learned at the BGCCM.