About the Founder:

 

LaBreesha Branae Batey was born and raised in Nashville, TN. She was single-handedly raised by her mother, Tomeka Batey. Growing up where violence and drugs were prevalent and watching her mother raise three kids on her own in a wheelchair, LaBreesha knew that she was bigger than the circumstances around her. LaBreesha, watching her mother, learned the art of perseverance, and was thus determined to make something out of herself. At a young age, she had a yearning for reading, writing, the arts, and possessed an entrepreneurial spirit. She worked hard in school, excelling in every assignment and task, and was coined “Most Likely to Succeed” in both Middle School and High School. Such perseverance and determination enabled her to graduate from Tennessee State University in 2011, Summa Cum Laude, with a Bachelors of Business Administration in Management and Marketing and a Minor in Speech Communications loan free.

 

Additionally, such spirit landed her a career at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA/MSFC). Her thirst for knowledge and pursuit of excellence further enabled her to graduate from Alabama A&M University, Summa Cum Laude, with two Masters in Business Management and Marketing (2015) and in Engineering (2021).  She has initiated several initiatives at NASA/MSFC, and has been coined as the Deputy Chair of the Women of Excellence, an innovator, and game changer. LaBreesha has had many people sow into her life along her journey, and is a firm believer in the philosophy that “To whom much is given, much is required”. Thus, she feels that it is an obligation for her to give back. 

 

With this Scholarship, LaBreesha wants students to know that they are not defined by where they come from or their circumstances, and that with God, hard work, determination, and faith, they can move mountains and be anything that they desire to be. LaBreesha doesn’t consider herself special in any regards, but perceives herself as someone who came from an underprivileged environment who had big dreams and decided, through faith, to walk her vision out.  She wants students to know that anyone can be denoted as smart and gifted, but very few are willing to apply themselves in order to cultivate such intelligence and gifts. LaBreesha prays that this Scholarship will serve as a blessing to many, as much as it is a blessing, a privilege, and an honor for her to have the opportunity to sow into someone else’s dreams.