The Leader I Didn't Know I Was

In 2018, green|spaces started a program called Build It Green that prepares young adults with untapped potential for careers in construction and energy service through a workforce development training program. green|spaces sits down to talk with one of our most recent graduates, Bri.

Bri sitting in an Adirondack chair that she made.

Bri is comfort, warmth and kindness personified. She is easy to talk to, and that “easy-to-talk-to” feeling lasted throughout the conversation. Briana, better known as “Bri”, was born and raised in Chattanooga. The baby of her family and a graduate of Bethel Christian School, Bri stood at a crossroads a few years after graduating high school. She went to college to study Criminal Justice but quickly realized that wasn’t the path for her. She then entered the military and served our country for three years. After realizing that wasn’t the long-term career she wanted either, she worked in an array of jobs as a customer service representative, an Amazon warehouse worker, a taxi driver, and many other jobs she just wasn’t passionate about.

When asked why she became interested in the Build It Green (BIG) program, she responded, “It was something different. It’s a positive alternative. What I mean is that when you grow up, you either go to school or get a job…and I tried a lot of options. A lot of people here have been on the streets and Build It Green is a positive alternative. This was something new that I’d never seen before…it gives us something - like, hope. You don’t have to keep to the streets; you can come here. We do circle time in the morning where everyone gathers around to check in with everyone.”

“This was something new that I'd never seen before...it gives us something - like, hope.”

Bri is a Team Lead at BIG; however, that wasn’t always the case. Bri started as a Team Member in 2021 and, in under a year, she became a Team Lead. “I’m there for the team…to become a Team Lead, you have to prove yourself. You have to have knowledge of the tools and the procedures on a job site. You have to be punctual. You have to take initiative.” Bri shared that she relays to her team that she has an open-door policy and that they can talk to her about anything. She refers to the BIG members as a big family. Because of the culture of BIG, she loves going through life with her family members every day.

Circle Time is particularly important to Bri. “We’ll pick someone different every day to pick a check-in question. It can be silly, but a lot of the time it is more serious – something to make you think and to get you talking. We’ll go around and check in with each person to see how they’re doing. Sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s bad. It just gives everyone a head’s up if one person just isn’t feeling it and they can only give 60% today, you might have to step up to give the extra 40% for them and hold them up. It also gets people thinking and talking about something that they didn’t even realize was bothering them. It gets your mind right. We go out into society with the skills that Build It Green teaches us to better our community. We also have guest speakers who come in – who are accomplished and have been where we were – and it gives us hope that we can do that too... that we can be that too.”

One of the two canoe bookshelves that Bri built - now being used in Outdoor Chattanooga.

“We go out into society with the skills that Build It Green teaches us to better our community.”

When asked what she was most proud of building, it takes Bri no time to answer, “Canoe bookshelves.” To explain, she and other members of the BIG program carved out old canoes and transformed them into bookshelves. The Outdoor Chattanooga Center in Coolidge Park currently uses these bookshelves to house children’s books for families and blankets to read in the center or to take to the park.

When asked how the Build It Green program has impacted her life, she responds, “It forced me to be the leader that I didn’t know I was.” She then added, “This program has been a great connector, too. Like, if you don’t make something of yourself after graduating BIG, then that’s on you. You have all of these opportunities, you have access to so many resources, and you meet so many people.”

“It forced me to be the leader that I didn’t know I was.”

Bri and Tee holding their Built It Green diplomas.

What does the future hold for Bri? In a few short weeks, she will be moving to the Clarksville/Nashville area and plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in business administration with plans to start her own business, specializing in pressure washing.

green|spaces is excited to follow along as Bri pursues her dreams and is proud that our Build It Green program played an impactful role in her life.

Congratulations, Bri!

written by Elizabeth Robinson

To learn more about our Build It Green program, click here.