CEO of Springfield’s Boys & Girls Club Brandy Harris talks with her mentor and Boys & Girls Club board member Julie Leeth about their first meeting, when Julie was principal of Brandy’s high school. They discuss Julie’s impact on Brandy’s life, and their shared passion for making a difference in the lives of young people.
Brandy describes the adversity she faced as a young person and how Julie and other teachers she describes as “irrationally passionate” changed the course of her life, and one moment in particular stands out. She talks about how that experience informs her work with the Boys & Girls Club organization.
Julie says, “you’re always hoping every student has that connection,” and that’s why schools are important, though of course it doesn’t always happen. She says, “when you’re in education, your worst fear is what you’ve done to hurt.” Looking back together Brandy says a “textbook” had a very different path for her life. She strives to make that same impact in her work today.