Meet this week's Tarrant Influencer.

What is your full name?
LaRhonda Young


How old are you?
48 years old


What is your profession and for how long?
I’m the Founder and Owner of Young Scholar Literacy Services (YSLS), a tutoring service that offers individualized tutoring for grades K-8 in Reading/English Language Arts and Math. YSLS has been in existence since May 2017 and I also serve as a dyslexia teacher for a local independent school district. I have been in education for 9 years. Prior to education, I served as a Fort Worth Police Officer from 1992-2004.


What was your first job ever?
My first job was at Carl’s Jr, a fast food restaurant on Altamesa Blvd in Fort Worth. I was 16 years old.  That location is now Jack in the Box.


Where did you attend high school?
Southwest High School, class of 1987.  During my freshman and sophomore years, I played basketball and ran track and was a part of ROTC. During my junior and senior years, I participated in forensic speech and gospel choir.


Where did you do you undergrad studies?
Texas Christian University, my major was sociology and social work.


In your current industry who was your first mentor?  And, what advice did they give you that you still use today?
My first mentor in the field of education was my father, Robert Young Sr. He was a counselor and psychology instructor and at Tarrant County College South Campus and later became the coordinator of Special Services. Prior to retiring he served as the director of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program at Crowley ISD. I learned a lot from observing his interactions with students, parents and his colleagues. Today he continues to give me advice and pour knowledge into me about how to better Young Scholar Literacy Services.

Advice he has given me that I hold on to today is: Keep God first, never expect anything, work for everything and give without motive.  


What is an important quality you look for in your relationships with others?
Honesty and integrity. A person’s skills may be mediocre but if they are genuine and trustworthy I can work with them and help them develop their craft. However a liar with a superb skill set is dangerous and should be avoided to protect one’s own character and integrity.  


What unique strategy do you use to expand your professional network that others do not?
I don’t know that I use any unique strategies. However, I believe the passion I exude for what I do speaks volumes and plays a role in the positive reaction I receive from others.


What are some immediate projects you are working on outside of your campaign?
I’m currently a doctoral student at Walden University working toward an Ed.D in Educational Leadership for Teaching and Learning.


Tell us about a project or accomplishment that you consider to be the most significant in your career.
The development of Young Scholar Literacy Services is my most significant accomplishment and working toward a doctoral degree in education is my most significant project to date, in terms of my career. To change careers at the halfway point (12.5 years left to retire with full benefits as a police officer) and totally switch gears at 34 years old was tough financially, mentally and emotionally. Starting over from the bottom in a new a career, and in less than 10 years building an educational service that is flourishing and close to the completion of my doctoral degree are most significant in my opinion.


How does Young Scholar Literacy Services uniquely plan to make Tarrant County Better?
Young Scholar Literacy Services will make Tarrant County better by providing a service that will help parents, help their children excel academically. This will ensure that more students will see success in the classroom early in their academic career and cause a significant drop in the local drop-out rate and increase academic achievement overall.


What was your first experience working within the community and what was accomplished?
As a high school senior in 1987, I went to a Fort Worth ISD school board meeting and gave a short speech about why Southwest High School should replace the rebel mascot and flag. After input from others, a few years later the rebel mascot and flag were changed to the raiders. It makes me feel good that at such a young age, I was socially conscious and played a role in significant change within Tarrant County and Fort Worth ISD.  


How do you prep for an important business meeting and/or event?
Research! I do a lot of research so that I have sufficient background knowledge and understanding about what I’m going to be discussing, implementing or providing insight on. Education is the key! Therefore, I educate myself so that I’m able to interact in a meeting with confidence and be taken serious by my peers and leaders. If I’m presenting or speaking at an event the same thing applies. I research the organization, topic, and audience and move forward in excellence.


As a busy professional, how do you unwind?  
I start my days with a workout to eliminate and limit stress. To unwind I enjoy nights at home with my TV or spending time with my family and friends.


If you could interview anyone, who would that be and why?
Barbara Jordan. She is my choice because there are a lot of similarities in our lives. The fact that she was a politician during a time when African Americans were openly viewed as second class citizens is intriguing to me. I wish I could have had a conversation with her to hear the intimate details about how she overcame segregation and accomplished such great things in spite of all the odds (her race) against her.  


If you could travel and stay anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
Africa. Being that I am an African American, my heritage is important to me. Therefore, I would love the opportunity to travel to Africa and learn about some of the culture and see the land to become more in touch with my history and ancestry.


What is some advice you have for others who want to make Tarrant County Better?
My advice to anyone who wants to make a mark in the community is to exhibit integrity in all things and follow your passion. That which you are passionate about is the one thing you will put intense effort into and draw others with that same passion and integrity to create a work that motivates, uplifts and benefits others.  


Contact Young Scholar Literacy Service

Webiste: https://www.youngscholarliteracy.com

Facebook: @YoungScholarLiteracy 
 
Twitter: @1youngscholar
 
Instagram: @1youngscholar 


Everything BetterTarrant.com does is to advance the betterment of our community.  If you know someone who is making contributions that are note-worthy let us know so that we can spotlight their efforts.  Please email us at info@BetterTarrant.com.