Nancy (TN)

“I saw a fracture in our education system, so I set out to address the national absence of skill acquisition and apprenticeships among students in the United States."

Kenzie (MO)

 “I am very fortunate to be working with Alyn Vaughn to learn the promotion and retail side of photography. Without the hands-on opportunities Alyn Vaughn is giving me to try and fail at tasks, I would never learn how to expand my skills in this area. Their belief in us young adults is what will give us these skills that will lead to job opportunities we could never get through formal education alone.”

Else (TN)

"Customers compliment me for my public speaking skills. I let them know I learned to be a confident speaker by working at Alyn Vaughn. I'm here to learn as much as I can from this opportunity I began at age 9."

Yasmine (TN)

"I dropped out of high school at age 15 because I was pregnant. At age 17, I met Nancy through YoungLives, a program for teen moms. Nancy told me, "If you can get yourself into a GED program within 48 hours, I'll hire you." I called her the following day to share that I had secured a spot at Begin Anew. Six months later, I passed all of my exams to acquire my GED. Following this accomplishment, Nancy signed me up for Drivers Ed school. It was the day before Thanksgiving when I passed the driver's test. Working at Alyn Vaughn allowed me to hit the restart button on my life."

Aydan and Chloe (TN)

 “Some of the skills we learn are how to talk about our Mission Statement, how to introduce the products to potential customers, and responsibility.”

Arista (GA)

"Working at Alyn Vaughn allows me to engage with customers about the importance of our mission which builds my public speaking skills and social skills. I also enjoy the creativity of making our vegan suede wraps."

Faith (IN)

“In the midst of my senior year of high school the stress of selecting an extremely expensive school for my career came all too fast and overwhelmed me. At this time, I was introduced to Alyn Vaughn as an educational hands-on platform that would help me continue to learn while having the flexibility to find what best suited me and my future.”

Dayna (Aiden & Chloe's Mom) (TN)

“As someone with a sales and entrepreneurial background, the mission spoke to me. Now, my kids are a part of this team because I know they will learn more from this hands-on experience that they can’t possibly learn sitting in a classroom.”

Zaria (GA)

"I recently gave a presentation at school for my year-end project. While the content of my project was well-received, my teacher told me I need to work on my pronunciation and public speaking skills, however, the curriculum at my public school does not teach these skills. I felt deflated. Arista, another AV employee encouraged me to join Alyn Vaughn where I would have a chance to improve my public speaking skills, grow my social skills, and learn various aspects of the business while being paid."

Rowan (TN)

“Here I am able to not only find opportunity for myself but give opportunity to those around me.”

Noe (TN)

“I reached out to Nancy immediately after connecting with Alyn Vaughn’s mission while shopping at a local pop-up market.  Even though I was 15 years old, she welcomed me with open arms. I’ve learned marketing, sales, and logistic skills I can now apply to operating 'Dixie Dogs' with my dad and three siblings.”

Crisman (Noe's Dad) (TN)

“When I saw how much Noe enjoyed and learned from her experience at Alyn Vaughn, I was inspired to create the same opportunity for all four of my children to gain hands-on experience through entrepreneurship.  That’s how ‘Dixie Dogs’ was born."

Elizabeth (TN)

“I love spreading the mission to people every day. It allows me to connect with people and is what I thrive on.”

Junior and Baby Charles (TN)

Kim (Faith's Mom) (IN)

“Faith was reaching the end of her senior year and overwhelmed by feeling like she had to go the college path. All around her the question of ‘where are you going and what will you study’ loomed. She knew college admission was not an issue but wasn’t sure what she wanted to study and didn’t want to go just because everyone else was. And then a mutual friend connected me to Nancy and the weight was lifted. A voice echoing what we had long believed that college isn’t everyone’s path!  As I travelled with Faith to her first show in Chicago, I saw Faith rise to the challenge of learning business, manufacturing and marketing skills in a hands-on way that nothing else could. Her ability to connect mission, people and sales is a skill most don’t receive from traditional schooling.  Six months after her first show, I saw my daughter fly to the East coast on her own and run the AV booth at a large show for a week on her own. The experience she has gained has been priceless!"

Haley (GA)

“I get to help fight for the importance of hands-on skills for our youth, and that’s killer!”

MK (TN)

“AV has allowed me the opportunity to learn a world of communication and sales skills that I had never engaged with before.“

Allie (TX)

“Being part of Alyn Vaughn’s team is empowering, uplifting and meaningful. I love sharing our mission statement and story.  It allows me to pass on my passion for bettering our youths' future.”

Raquel (NJ)

“I’ve always loved fashion and it is so rewarding to use my knowledge gained in the industry as well as my personal flair to create an assortment that helps to spread the mission of this incredible brand.”

John (NC)

"Most American’s don’t have a college degree. Even for many with a college degree, the job opportunities just are not there in this new economy. Alyn Vaughn’s business model supports a way for apprentices to learn the types of practical skills needed to enter the workforce."