We recently connected with Tynisha D Gardner MS. O.L. and have shared our conversation below.

Tynisha D , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

The story behind my mission is personal. It connected to my personal education experience as a child. School was not my strong suit and I wasn’t something that I did well. In the second grade unfortunately I had a teacher who was not caring and did not take time to work with me. When I would ask a question or for help, I was made to feel like I was the dumbest kid in the classroom. I wasn’t confident and I didn’t enjoy going to school at all. At the end of that year, I was told that I would have to repeat the second grade again. The delivery of that message was done in a way that made me feel like it was my fault because I get grasp the content and catch on like the other students. It felt more like a punishment and not an opportunity to grow and develop. It was humiliating! On the last day of school, I asked if I could go ahead of the other kids a few minutes earlier for dismissal. That day, I ran faster than I ever had. Running away from the moment where I would have to tell my friends that I would be joining them in third grade. I also didn’t want to deal with the kids that would make fun of me for failing. But unfortunately that was inevitable. Because even though I spent half of my summer hiding in our home, the day that I did go outside, I was greeted with the taunting by a boy saying, “ha,ha, I heard you failed.” That was the year and summer that I lost my confidence in school. The remainder of my education years all the way through high school consisted of failing grades and the mindset that I could not learn and I was not smart. I would do enough to stay eligible to run track. My senior year in high school I was emancipated and became responsible for myself. I barely graduated high school and was told college was not an option for me. So I didn’t purse it. II became a mother at 19 and struggle working factory jobs and then eventually working in a call center for a fortune 500 company. It took me being 30 years old and having the desire to want more in life, to have enough courage to pursue a college education. And when I did, it was then that I discovered, I was smart!

I don’t want any child to be the second grade me – losing hope. The teenage me, repeating generational cycles and being destined for poverty. The young adult, who struggle to find her place in society. I want to lay a path that will prevent these life-altering experiences and help girls see, that no matter how the journey starts, you can still finish strong!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am an influential leader who took the negative experiences of my past and learned how to make them work for my good. A teenage mom, who changed the trajectory of failed generational marriages and has been married for 21 years with 3 beautiful amazing children, who are thriving in life. A woman of color who has refused to be a statistic, but instead be a barrier breaker. A transformative leader who has changed the way education is done. A change-agent who from my own personal experiences has impacted the lives hundreds of families and their children from all walks of life.

When given the opportunity to take over a high at-risk private school in the urban areas of Lake County, IL, I did so with the dedication to help build bridges for girls of color facing the disparities of higher education attainment, career-readiness, and living above the poverty line.

While education was always a sore-spot for me. It became my ammo to want to do a life-changing work and help others. It is my personal mission to dispel the lies that children living in marginalized communities can’t learn and only the lucky will make it out of their situation.

It was when I took a teaching job at my children’s private school that I realized that I was suppose to be helping children by way of education. But not from the classroom, from providing them with experiences that would allow them to discover their own gifts and talents and develop them through opportunities that they would not otherwise receive.

Creativity and faith is at the core of what we do. Affirm Leadership Christian Academy was established to provide access for girls who are not seen in the classroom. Whether it’s because they learn differently, were not being challenged, wanted to grow in their faith, or simply just wanted a positive social experience, we are dedicated to providing that for our scholars.

Through our small school platform. In a classroom of 10:1, scholars receive a personalized education that has been designed from a creative, non-traditional approach. Each scholar is given the capacity to excel at their own pace. Through our intensive academic intervention program, we are able to detect deficiencies and close gaps at a progressive rate. Over 30% of our scholars are above grade level and over 50% perform at grade level nationally.

We intentionally through our leadership academy as early as kindergarten, expose our scholars to content through interactive learning. Through partnerships with universities, Architecture and Design is one of the core pillars of our program. They gain experience through advanced software such as; sketchup and autocad, attending global business expos, architecture and engineer firm visits, and being taught by college level professors. Our Robotics program exposes them to various coding software and drone programming, as well as competitions. The business component of the program gives way to financial literacy workshops, student-led presentations for business partners, and community stakeholders, internships, and service learning. Performing Arts, along with our Boxing Fitness program has helped to develop our scholars confidence, growth mindset, and helped them to discover their “super power”.

When designing this program, we did so with the intention to not only expose our scholars to certain industries, but those arenas where women, especially women of color are not represented as an employee or in a leadership role.

Unlike, many educational institutions, we are able to see the fruit of our labor on a daily basis. We see the scholar who at the beginning of the school year could not write their name. But, by the holiday break, they are writing complete sentences and reading at the age of 3. Scholars who could not count, are not completing double-digit math at age 4. And scholars in kindergarten are mastering spelling tests and verbally presenting chapter book reports. Through our academic intervention scholars are graduating out of special education services, performing 3+ grade levels ahead. Elementary scholars have developed high school skills. Our high school program has been designed to give early access to college. After tenth grade, scholars enter in-person classes at Judson University in Elgin, IL where they are put on a path to graduate high school with their diploma and an associate degree in general studies at the the end of the twelfth grade.

I’m proud of the fact that I stepped out on faith, defeated my past giant of a failed education system, and instead of complaining and blaming, I decided to be one of the solutions for this epidemic education turmoil. But what I am most proud of, is that a platform has been built for girls of color that will help them to no longer walk around with a stigma, a path has been created for them to impact their peers and those that will travel behind them, a culture has been set that challenges their generation to live for truth and righteousness! Daily, I am proud that everytime I walk into any classroom and look at their happy faces, I can see my younger self soaring!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Authenticity, consistency, and steadfast are 3 words that make up my leadership posture. I believe, how you live is how you will lead. It is important for me to be my authentic self. To not be common so others can be comfortable. Telling my story with transparency, staying the course of life no matter what hand it deals me, and remaining loyal to my faith and the people that the Lord has called me to. When the common commentary from people is “you know what you are going to get with Tynisha, there is no guessing.” You know you are doing something right. Good, bad, or indifferent, I am committed to leaving this world better than I found it! That is in everything that I do!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I was once told by a former principal that I worked alongside, that it is better to be a big fish in a little pond, than a little fish in a big pond. As I continue to travel my journey, I am learning that success and legacy is not what the world says it is. But it is more about making an impact not completing the task. My legacy, will not be the big build that I get, a roster of thousands of girls, but, it will be what I said to every single person that I encounter in life. The empowerment that I put into the girls that attend my academy. It will be lives of faith that my children live, knowing that their father and I wanted more than anything to lay a spiritual foundation that they can build their lives from. The truth of the matter, I have always been the big fish in the small pond, always having to fight for what I needed, prove myself 100% more than the next girl, and upsetting the opinions of others. This pond is better! It allows me to swim with other fishes that are changing lives and doing an impactful work. Even if it’s not on a global scale!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://alcagirls.org/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AffirmLeadershipCA
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/tynishagardner