Shayla's Story

As a mom of a 1.5-year-old, Executive Director of a non-profit, youth pastor’s wife, sister, daughter, friend, member of local organizations, and Director for the Miss Knoxville/Miss Rocky Top Prelim, you can rest assured that my plate and heart are full! 

As a little girl, I dreamed of what life would look like in my 20s and 30s. I’d wondered what I would be doing as a career, if I would have a family and children of my own, would we travel, what would my husband look like, and where would we live. My friends and I would play “MASH” to determine just who we would marry, what we would drive, the type of house we would live in, and how many children we would have. We would giggle as we determined the results. 

While this little girl had dreams, aspirations, and things she wanted to accomplish, it wasn’t that simple. There were a few roadblocks in her way, but try as they might to stop her, she remained steadfast after her dreams to make a difference. You don’t imagine a life filled with chaos, parents fighting, split time at houses, court appearances, and being placed in bad situations. However, this was the reality of my childhood. As a result, I fought to become the “perfect” girl. I had to do the right thing, say the right thing, dress the right way, and make good grades. There was no room for error.  While there were Adverse Childhood Experiences that stood in my way, I had protective factors that surrounded me. I had loving grandparents, teachers, coaches, trusted adults, and pageants that filled that gap for me. They instilled in me that I could do anything I put my mind to. 

Bold 

I have embraced life from a young age to be BOLD! I never stopped believing that I could do anything I put my mind to. This is intertwined into my story in so many ways ( jobs, school decisions, relationships, moving to a new city, and meeting my husband). While I have had to do work on myself to adjust my mindset and thought patterns around the “perfectionist” in me, being bold has pushed me to where I am today. It allowed me to challenge myself and push myself out of my comfort zone to achieve my dreams. 

Brave

Sometimes life throws you lemons and you have to make lemonade. While my story was far from perfect, I have had to learn to be brave in the midst of chaos, to lean on God when I didn’t understand the path he had me on, to trust the process at times, and to stand up for what I believe in. What I learned is that God's plan is always bigger and better than the plan we have for ourselves. There are people I wouldn’t have met, stories I wouldn’t get to share, and places I would have missed out on if I weren’t Brave enough to take the leap of faith and fully trust. 

Brilliant 

“Education is something no one can take from you” -My grandfather. 

I loved school! School was my safe place, where I could be me, and where I got to write the story. I attended the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Go Vols, and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Education with a Major in Kinesiology. I then completed my Master’s in Education with a concentration in Secondary Education and an Educational Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership. 

As life leads us around the twists and turns along the journey, I know there was a plan for that little girl. She grew up, she went to college, she stepped out of her comfort zone and moved to Nashville during COVID for a dream job, met her husband, had a beautiful baby boy, now runs a company, and yes, we travel! I have come to realize that you can “have it all”, it just looks different for each of us! 

God has created you to be just who you are “for such a time as this”.  So be Bold, Brave, and Brilliant!