build yourself up academy

living life to your potential

*Let’s Give Back This Holiday Season!** ✨

Join us **Saturday, December 20th at 10 AM** as we come together to bless those in need. We’ll meet at **The Gathering Spot (Atlanta)** and head out to distribute hygiene kits to our unhoused neighbors around the area. 🧼💙

Your presence can make a real difference. Bring a friend, bring your heart, and let’s serve our community together.

❤️ **Small acts. Big impact.**
Hope to see you there!

#GiveBack #CommunityLove #ATL #HolidayService #BlessOthers #SpreadKindness

🧹💚 Community Day Clean-Up! 💚🧹

Join us Saturday, December 27th from 10 AM–12 PM as we come together to keep our Marietta community clean, beautiful, and cared for!

Bring your friends, family, and good energy as we pick up trash, connect with neighbors, and make a positive impact right where we live. Every helping hand counts! 🙌

Let’s show some love to the place we call home.
See you there!

#MariettaGA #CommunityCleanup #KeepGeorgiaBeautiful #GiveBack #NeighborhoodPride #CommunityLove

Huge thank you to everyone who came out on Saturday and helped pass out gumbo to our homeless community! ❤️🍲 Your support, energy, and love made such a difference. @lliyyaahh @m.sugarfoot @brandedbeauty_gives @1love_tierra @theonegumbolady_

Thank you patterning with me @brandedbeauty_gives and thank you for that delicious gumbo we served @theonegumbolady_ and yall make sure yall tap in with my cousin and get yall some of that GUMBO! Okurr 💕

We’re doing another giveback on December 20th, so mark your calendars! This time we’ll be assembling hygiene kits and—fingers crossed—serving up more delicious Gumbo from the Gumbo Lady! 🙌🔥

If you want to join us, send me a DM or stay tuned for updates.

Thank you again, everyone. It’s such a blessing to be able to be a blessing to others. 🤍✨

#Community #Giveback #BlessOthers #GumboLove #VolunteersRock #Gratitude

Flashback to the Walk with Purpose 5K! Here’s a snapshot of me explaining why we do what we do! #buildyourselfup

🍲 Join Us to Give Back! 🧡

This Saturday, November 28th at 11 AM, come volunteer with Build Yourself Up Academy and Branded Beauty Gives as we prepare and pass out delicious gumbo @theonegumbolady_ cups w/ rice to those in need.

📍 Meeting Location: Courtyard Marriott Vinings at 10:30 AM

✨ Everyone is welcome—bring your energy, your heart, and your smile!

Let’s make this holiday season warmer for our community. 💛

Huge thank you to my beautiful sister Miya @miyaburrusco for leading an incredible real estate workshop for our teens at Pittman Park Rec Center today! 🏡💼

We toured the newly built home right across the street and Miya broke down everything — from what to consider before purchasing a home, to the process of closing and managing a property afterward. The teens learned about down payments, mortgages, lenders, appraisers, budgeting, wealth building, and equity — and they asked amazing questions along the way! 🙌🏾

Thank you, Miya, for pouring your wisdom, time, and love into our teens. You truly made real estate feel attainable and exciting for the next generation! 💚✨

#getmoneyyyy

#CommunityBuilding #YouthEmpowerment #RealEstateEducation #FinancialLiteracy #WealthBuilding #SisterGoals #pittmanparkreccenter

🌟 Big Thanks to Ms. Chelsea! 🌟 @_beautifulchels

Today, my amazing colleague from UWG, Ms. Chelsea, led an incredible mental health session with the teens at Pittman Park, and it was a powerful experience! 🙌 Chelsea, a licensed therapist out of Douglasville, GA, guided the teens through some meaningful discussions. The teens dropped real, thought-provoking questions about mental health in a hat, and Ms. Chelsea answered each one with wisdom and compassion. 💡

We then dove into creating a “safe plan,” focusing on four important factors to think about when you’re feeling overwhelmed or triggered:

1️⃣ Warning Signs – What signals let you know you’re starting to get upset?
2️⃣ Coping Skills – What can you do to manage those feelings?
3️⃣ Safe Space – Where can you go to feel calm and supported?
4️⃣ Trusted Person – Who can you talk to when you need help?

We wrapped up by asking, “What’s important to you in life, and what makes it worth living?” 💭 The teens opened up and really reflected on what matters to them.

Huge shoutout to Ms. Chelsea for sharing her expertise and creating such a safe and open space for these important conversations. 💙 Mental health is so important, and we’re grateful for everything Chelsea brings to the table.

#MentalHealthMatters #TeensTalking #PittmanPark #ThankYouChelsea #SafePlan #CopingSkills #MentalWellness #EndTheStigma #YouthEmpowerment #UWG #LicensedTherapist

🎉 THANK YOU, WALK WITH PURPOSE FAMILY! 🎉
What an incredible day! 💪🏾💫 A huge THANK YOU to everyone who showed up, showed out, and walked (or ran!) with purpose at our 5K! 🏃🏾‍♀️🏃🏾‍♂️ Your energy, smiles, and support made this event unforgettable.

👏🏾 Special shoutout to our WINNERS and every single runner who gave it their all — you are the heartbeat of this movement! ❤️

Together, we’re building strength, community, and purpose — one step at a time. 🏅

Thank you to our sponsors @publix @traderjoes @chicfila_gives @powerade

#WalkWithPurpose5K #BuildYourselfUp #CommunityStrong #RunForACause #ThankYou

The Foot Locker Career Readiness Pop Up will take place on Friday October 17th at our Foot Locker West End store. This event is ideal for recent high school graduates or those who have earned an equivalent credential, and anyone in college or just starting out in their career.

Event Details
Location: Foot Locker West End, 562 Lee St SW, Atlanta
Date: Friday, October 17, 2025
Time:
Doors open at 11:30 AM. Participants must arrive before 12 PM.
Main Program: 12-2 PM
Optional Networking & 1:1 Conversations: 2-3 PM

🌟 A HUGE thank you to Mrs. Tamara and Mrs. Yolanda from @regionsbank for coming through and leading such an AMAZING finance workshop today! 🙌💼

Our students had the chance to dig into key topics like budgeting, saving, credit, and how to stay safe from scams. 🧑‍🏫💡 Your expertise and passion really inspired our young minds to think critically about their financial future. 💸✨

We’re beyond grateful for your time and for investing in the next generation of smart, savvy decision-makers! 🙏💯

#FinancialLiteracy #Budgeting #Saving #Credit #ScamPrevention #YouthEmpowerment #ThankYou #FinancialFuture #SmartChoices

🌟 A HUGE thank you to YMCA Chattahoochee Academy for having me today! 🌟 It was such a joy reading The Little Monarchs of the World, a children’s book I’m proud to have published and written, to all the amazing kiddos! 🦋📚 Seeing their faces light up as I shared my story was truly priceless.

Big thanks to @readingwithrari for the inspiration and for setting everything up so beautifully! 🙌🏽

Remember, reading is fundamental and opens doors to endless adventures! 🌍✨

If you’re interested in purchasing a copy of The Little Monarchs of the World, click the link in my bio! 📖
#Grateful #ReadingIsFundamental #ChildrensBooks #TheLittleMonarchs #YMCA #ChattahoocheeAcademy #Storytime #Inspiration #BookLove #AuthorLife #SpreadTheJoy

Build Yourself Up Academy, we’re all about growth, purpose, and vision. 💪🏽📈

Today, our students wrote letters to their future selves — a powerful reminder that who we become starts with the goals we set. 🎯

We’re teaching the importance of SMART goals — Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound — so every step forward has direction.
The future isn’t just something that happens… it’s something we build. 🧱✨

#BuildYourselfUp #SMARTGoals #FutureSelf #YouthEmpowerment #GoalSetting #PersonalGrowth #MindsetMatters

🚨 Walk with Purpose 5K — Have You Registered Yet? 🚨

The Walk with Purpose 5K is happening at Westside Park on October 25, and we want to make sure everyone’s on board!

👟 Have you signed up yet?

Drop a ✅ if you’re in — or let us know if you need the registration link!

Let’s walk with purpose — together.

Thank you, Mr. G @gdubs.wp , for speaking to our teens at Thomasville Rec yesterday. Your life story and accomplishments make a powerful impact on our teens, and we truly appreciate you!

Big thank you to my cousin @nbanks6316 for coming out to share his journey in the tech world with our students!

🙌💻✨ He opened our eyes to how many opportunities there are to learn, build, and monetize in tech, across so many different areas. We even debated iPhone vs. Samsung (you know we all said iPhone 😅), but did you know all iPhones are actually made with Samsung parts?! 🤯 Crazy, right?!

So grateful for moments like these where our students get inspired and see what’s possible through knowledge and innovation! 🚀

#BuildYourselfUp #TechTalk #FutureLeaders

🏃🏽‍♀️✨ Walk With Purpose 5K ✨🏃🏿‍♂️

DATE CHANGE!!! OCTOBER 25th

Join us on October 25th at Westside Park as we walk, run, and move together to bring awareness to the blind community, breast cancer, and liver cancer. 💜💖💚

All proceeds support the 2026 Build Your Knowledge Scholarship Fund for a deserving high school student with a plan of excellence! 🎓🌟

👟 Register today & be part of the movement: [LINK IN MY BIO]

Register Today and take advantage of the Early Bird price of $15. On September 30th the price will go up to $25.

#WalkWithPurpose #BuildYourselfUpAcademy #5KForACause

Big thanks to Mr G! For showing up and shining a light on these students.💫 Build yourself up Academy is always about being positive and knowing that you are enough!! When life gives you rocks make a rocket ship🚀🚀🚀 #buildyourselfup

✨ A huge THANK YOU to Mr. G Dub for pouring into our teens today! ✨
He reminded us that humble beginnings don’t define where you can go—character and connections do. His story of perseverance, success, and staying true to his values left our teens inspired to keep building themselves up and striving for greatness. 💪🏾📈
We are so grateful for the wisdom and encouragement you shared with the next generation! 🙌🏾

Hey guys!! 💫Help Build Yourself Up academy reach our goal by buying a dozen doughnuts!🍩 50% will be donated to BYU academy after purchase. Simply buy online and visit your local Krispy Kreme to redeem using the code.✅ Link in bio! Fundraiser ends sept 2nd. 🚀 #fundraiser #krispykreme #buildyourselfup #dozendoughnuts #treatyourself #buy #nonprofit

Doughnuts for a great cause!! BUILD YOURSELF UP ACADEMY is giving you the best reason to indulge in a dozen (or two) Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Until September 2, 50% of your order will be donated back to BUILD YOURSELF UP ACADEMY when you purchase via our fundraising sales page! Simply buy online, visit your local store & redeem using your code. Treat yourself, friends and family here: LINK IN MY BIO 🍩🍩🍩🍩🍩

Have you claimed YOUR dozens? 🍩 We’re half way through the BUILD YOURSELF UP ACADEMY Digital Dozens fundraising campaign, which means there are 30 days left to purchase your doughnuts! You can help us hit our campaign goal of 100 dozens 🤩 by ordering your perfectly glazed Krispy Kreme doughnuts here: https://grouprai.se/krispykreme59654sa #krispykreme #doughnuts #groupraise #digitaldozens #krispykremefundraiser #buildyourselfupacademy #donuts #fundraiser #supportlocal #treatyourself

Hype Me Up Back To School Drive was a success!!!

Here’s a confessional from Jacobi as he reflects on his experience with Build Yourself Up Academy !

Huge thanks to Ms. Briana Harper @__harpercybri for inspiring the Thomasville Rec teens once again with an incredible talk on PWIs and HBCUs, college readiness, and valuable advice on selecting the right college. Your insights and encouragement truly makes an impact—🙌🎓✨ #CollegeReady #HBCUPride #FutureLeaders #ThankYou

✨ It’s that time again — Back to School Drive time! ✨
This year, Build Yourself Up Academy is honored to sponsor Turner Chapel AME Church’s HYPE ME UP Back to School Drive! 🙌🏾

I’m beyond excited to be partnering with my church home of 32 years — it’s amazing how God brings things full circle. 🙏🏾

📅 Saturday, July 26th | 11am–2pm
🎒 Bookbags & school supplies
🎯 Games, prizes, cold treats
💇🏾‍♀️ Fresh hairdos and more!

Come out and get hyped up for the school year! Let’s send our students back confident, equipped, and uplifted. 💪🏾📚✨
#HypeMeUp2025 #BackToSchoolDrive #TurnerChapelAME #BuildYourselfUp #FullCircleMoments @turnerchapel_ypd @turnerchapelame

Thank you @target for donating book bags and supplies for our Back to School Drive!! 🚀🚀🚀

🚀 Elevator Speeches at Thomasville Rec! 🎤
Today, our teens took the spotlight and owned it! We explored what makes each of us unique, how our skills make us valuable, and how to confidently share our stories in just 30 seconds. 💫

From nervous to nailed it, every single teen pushed through their jitters and delivered powerful elevator speeches that showed off their personality and potential. 🙌

Huge thank you to Maranda @m.sugarfoot for sharing your expertise and making it a fun, confidence-building experience! 💥 #TeenVoices #PublicSpeaking #ThomasvilleRec #ElevatorSpeech #ConfidenceInAction #YouthEmpowerment

Thank you @__harpercybri for coming through and giving a personality workshop for the teens at Thomasville Recreation Center! You always get in your educator bag and I love that for our students 💕 Thank you for being you and doing what you do! We hope to have you back!

Real quick.. about these Krispy Kreme doughnuts 🍩 and how you can help @build.yourself.up

Link in my bio to purchase your dozen!
https://grouprai.se/krispykreme59654ma

Thank you Ms Chelsea @destinedtooinc for hosting yesterday’s workshop at Dunbar!

Chelsea talked about stigmas around therapy and how to identify good coping skills from not so good ones.

Thank you to the students for engaging and participating. I pray you all take away some good coping skills that will help aid you through this thing called life.

Always with love,

Brittani 🚀🚀🚀🚀

Shout Out to Ms Kendall Banks, graduating senior of Alcovy High School, for her outstanding academic and athletic performance!

She is our 2nd recipient of the 2025 Build Your Knowledge Scholarship!!

Kendall will be taking her talents to either Fort Valley State or FAMU!! Both HBCU’s would be lucky to have her !

So proud of you Kendall, continue doing your big one!! @3pt.k 🚀🚀🚀🚀

UPDATE! Our seeds were planted and are now GROWING. 🌱🪴

Let’s talk about building your resume!

Thank you to my girl @fanxcy__ for pulling up and sharing with the teens the do’s and don’ts for building a resume.

It’s a lot of simple things about resumes that even adults don’t know, that can help enhance your resumes and help to sell you into the job of your dreams.

The students asked some really good questions and they most definitely took away some good tidbits that will help them as they prepare for employment!

Be sure to tune in for our next workshop! 🚀🚀🚀🚀

🎶🎶You got to know we working on ourselves aye! You got to know we positive, going up and popping it! Don’t I be with Bessie teens serving everybody! 🚀🚀

My girls at Bessie went crazy yesterday on the Ain’t I instrumental.

Positive affirmations all up and through this BANGERRRR.

SWIPE LEFT to hear the new single!!! LOL

And a HUGE thank you to Mr TRAP himself @trapdaddy_ for coming through setting up the studio and helping my girls record this masterpiece 🚀🚀🚀

#buildyourselfupALWAYS

A special shout out goes to Miss Ka’Niya Smith of Washington High School!! She was one of the recipients for the Build Your Knowledge Scholarship.

Miss Ka’Niya currently has a 3.9 GPA and has been accepted to 34 schools so far and counting!

She has her eyes set on either the University of West Georgia or Savannah State University. Both schools would be so lucky to have her!

She is planning to pursue a degree in Education to become an elementary school math teacher 👩‍🏫 and that’s on period!!

Yall help me congratulate Miss Ka’Niya Smith 🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀

#buildyourselfup❤️

Thank you to my lovely panelists today! I appreciate each and every one of you for taking the time out to come and speak to the next generation. This work matters and I’m thankful to be able to make it happen with you all.

@desireemartin6 @lliyyaahh @regg_white @_shalomtv kannetteking @devonte_steward

🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀

If you know, you know

I started It’s Rad Being A Grad panel in 2016 at UWG when I was a graduate assistant for residence education. This workshop was a success because it helped many undergraduate students gain understanding on what life would be like after they graduated & what they can expect if they wanted to go to grad school.

Fast forward to 2025, I adjusted the panel to focus on the same conversation but amongst high school students. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my community. Thank you @tru_rjmiller , @atlteenleadersacademy, @sooblasse, @__harpercybri @lliyyaahh and @miyaburrusco for shedding light on your experiences transitioning from high school into college and the real world and encouraging these teens to be fearless, know who they are, stay focused and have resilience.

Our goal is to build up the next generation so that they are up on game and fully equipped with the knowledge that would have helped us or that has helped us to be successful and navigate through life.

🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀

Thank you to my girl ebz__j THE GOAT THERAPIST for coming through to shed light on 3 important topics to think about on your journey to self discovery. She shared the following with the teens;

1) Warning Signs: What are key things you notice about yourself that you do when you’re upset or bothered.

2) Coping Skills : What are things you notice that you do to make yourself feel better?

3) Do you have mentors or people you can talk to when you’re feeling helpless or sad or just need advice? Name 2 ppl who you know you can talk to about anything.

Ebonee also shared the importance of building yourself up and building others up and how being a positive light can combat mental health spirals or stigmas. We did a “Hype Up” exercise that allowed everyone to express something positive about someone else and it was such a beautiful way to end the workshop! Check out our highlights! 🚀🚀🚀🚀 @build.yourself.up

Often times we don’t get to have intimate conversations with our youth about social emotional leaning and how understanding who you are and how you feel and what makes you feel that way, can help you navigate properly through challenging times in life without crashing out or going down a path of self destruction.

#buildyourselfup #community #teens #atlanta

If it ain’t about DA MONEYYYYYY ! lol

What better way to BUILD YOURSELF UP than by understanding what it means to successfully build up that bank account !

We played Financial Literacy Jeopardy yesterday @ Bessie Branham and it was so much fun! This game created great conversation around finances and allowed for opportunities to learn as well.

These guys were pretty up on their finance game I have to give it to them! 🥦 💴 💰

A fun fact that we learned today is that the formula for calculating interest. I (Interest) = P (Principal) x R (Rate) x T (Time) .

So, question for yall!

What is the amount of interest I will have in 8 years, if I currently have $10,000 in a high yield savings with an APY of 6%?

Drop your answer in the comments!

Let’s talk about planting seeds for a moment.

In order for a plant to grow, there must first be a seed sewn. With water and sunlight, the plant will bud right.

I’m so thankful for the opportunity to help plant a seed with the teens at Dunbar yesterday.

I reached out to my girl @akilah.cherri of @plantladyjuiceco and asked if she could come and do a workshop on wellness for the teens I work with at ATLParks. I thought it would be super dope to be able to teach the importance of knowing what your food is made up of and how to make your own food so you can know exactly what you’re feeding your body and to maintain its wellness (and bc we are in the last days and we need to know how to make food for ourselves so we can survive off the land).
At the same time, I thought it would be cool for Akilah to share her journey in wellness and how it brought her to co founding the one and only @plantladyjuiceco

As you know, through @build.yourself.up , I facilitate workshops that fall underneath the following categories: entrepreneurship, academics, personal growth, professionalism, and financial literacy. This workshop was 2 fold in that it focused on wellness which falls under personal growth, AND entrepreneurship following the journey of Akilah and Plant Lady Juice Co.

An essential part of personal growth is understanding how to maintain wellness whether it be mental, physical, or spiritual and a fun way to do so is by gardening.

Needless to say this was an excellent workshop. We first taste tested @plantladyjuiceco SORREL and GREEN APPLE SPICE juices (make sure yall follow and check out their documentary on You Tube and also make sure you purchase a juice, they’re so good and even better for you!) and then we planted our sunflowers, and cucumbers, and basil and mint and pulled up some carrots lol

I’m so thankful that I have friends that are rockstars to help me connect the dots on important topics that I feel the youth should be more exposed to and making it fun!

Thank you so much again @akilah.cherri @plantladyjuiceco ! 🍀🌱🪴🫚🫛

Hey yall, I hope you are finding ways to build yourself up at all times :)

Today’s workshop was super fun and interesting! As you all know, professional growth is one of the 5 subject areas we focus on with the teens that participate in Build Yourself Up Academy workshops.

I had the pleasure of collaborating with one of our Neuroscience PhD students that I work with at Georgia State University, Ms. Nadja Brown and Dr. Sherri Briggs who is Neuroscientist at Georgia State University.

Nadja is a Molecular Basis of Disease Fellow which is the program that I manage at Georgia State. Her research pertains to the development of newborn babies who enter the NICU.

Dr. Briggs got her PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Georgia.

In today’s workshop Dr. Briggs and Miss Brown shared some of the myths and facts of neuroscience and what it means to be a black woman in science!

Being a black scientist and a woman at that is remarkable and is also something we don’t get to see very often so I felt it was imperative for the teens to see.

In addition to learning some fun facts about being a neuroscientist, we had the students practice telling us about themselves to prepare for future scholarship interviews, job interviews, and anything else that comes their way.

The importance of being able to highlight your strengths, passions, and aspirations with confidence is key to getting what it is you want out of life.

Every student did an elevator pitch and they did excellent considering they had 8 min to prepare.

We are building ourselves up all day everyday!! I enjoyed today’s workshop throughly and I’m super excited for what’s to come!

Flashback to one of my very first Build Yourself Up events. It was a Black History Bingo/Jeopardy and it was so much fun!

Should I bring the back for the community???

#blackhistory

A HUGE THANK YOU to Marz Bishop and @selvinhicks for coming through and sharing with the students how to “Ignite a Winning Mindset”!

The importance of having an idea, being committed , being dedicated and being resilient are the tools needed to ignite a winning mindset.

This work is not for the weak because it can be challenging when you are so passionate about helping the youth become better and to excel, when they can’t see their own potential or they’re standing in the way of their own greatness but that is why we do the work we do!

Helping students unlock their potential and understand how magnificent they are and can be if they give themselves a chance.

Igniting a winning mindset is the key to success. Mindset is everything. 🔥🔥🚀🚀

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our mission

BYUA is a non-profit organization built on the principles of ETHICS, EDUCATION and EFFICACY . Our mission is to provide an atmosphere of positivity and self motivation within our programming by introducing opportunities and resources to the youth and adults in the community that will help to advance their growth and knowledge as it pertains to their lives and careers. We strive to promote self motivation and encourage individuals to live life to their full potential by providing to necessary tools/resources they need to succeed in a local and accessible setting/environment.

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about us

We at BYUA are unique in that we find ways to make sure that individuals have the necessary tools and resources needed to succeed by hosting free events that cater to specific needs of most people

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