Today we’d like to introduce you to Christie Myers.
Christie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Born and raised in Flint, Michigan and then graduating from Spring Arbor University with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration, I couldn’t wait to get out of the cold! I had never been to Dallas and did not know anyone in Dallas, but I knew it was warmer than Michigan and it had more professional opportunities than the ones in Flint.
When first moved to Dallas, I began working for the Dallas Regional Chamber in the Education Department. Having gone through public schools throughout K-12, I thought I knew what the average experience was for “public school.” Little did I know, the stark differences between the public schools I had access to and those here in Dallas. Quickly, I became very passionate about improving to outcomes and experiences for students here. I spent a lot of time working with Dallas ISD and often became frustrated with the system – so naturally, I thought “I would go work for them.”
That is what I did. I accepted a job with Dallas ISD in the Intergovernmental Affairs Department, under the leadership of Mike Miles and spent four years focused on community engagement, specifically in Southern Dallas.
At this same time, I was selected to be in the Mayor’s Star Council. One of our charges was to begin a Leadership Academy (today called Mayor’s Rising Star Council) – whatever that meant. Four of us sat in a room, wrote curriculum and opened an application to Sophomore students at Adamson, South Oak Cliff, Madison, Lincoln, and Roosevelt High School. We spent an entire year with the students, painted five large murals (2nd Ave Child Care Center, Adamson HS, SOC HS “Still We Rise”). We host graduation, gave away backpacks full of supplies and sent them on their way. The following Fall, the students came back and asked if they could stay involved because they did not have anything else to do. We said “sure.” Today, we have students ranging from 10th grade in high school to Juniors in college. They teach us more than we could ever teach them and the stories are endless.
The most impactful part of MRSC was hearing the stories of inequity these students had experienced. How far Downtown Dallas felt for them. How poor the quality of housing was (and is). How their educational experience contrasted with other schools. It was because of this, I moved to the Mayor’s Neighbor Up team, overseeing growth and development in the Education Corridor (between UNT Dallas and Paul Quinn College). This is where a majority of my MRSC students resided, and it was my arch mission to create a part of the City they would be PROUD to come back to.
Several projects blossomed from that work – one of which was the concept of building an Integrated Health Clinic. The idea came to an intimate conversation with UNT Dallas President, Bob Mong and PQC President, Michael Sorrell when I asked: “what collaborative initiative can we work on?” The answer – providing primary, behavioral and mental health care access for Southern Dallas.
Today, we are in the final stage of bringing to life the EdCor Integrated Health Clinic which will be the first of its kind, a ground-up facility offering primary care, ongoing mental and behavioral health care and educational space for the higher education institutions.
Has it been a smooth road?
No. My focus of work has been predominantly in Southern Dallas. I am a young white woman. I received a significant amount of resistance going into this community; for good reasons. I walked into one meeting that, little did I know, would change my entire life. I went up to a woman, who at the time I did not know her name. I stuck my hand out to shake her hand; she sat there, didn’t extend her hand and did not speak a word. I made it my mission to try and crack this woman.
Months later, I tricked her (through a friend), and she met with me. She raised her voice. I raised mine. She stopped mid-sentence and said, “oh, you are serious.” I said, “yes Ms. Myrtl, I am.” After that moment, she fought hard for me. She called daily to tell me she loved me. She became a dear friend and advocated for my work.
Earlier this year, that sweet friend passed away suddenly. I was asked to speak at her funeral, which represents more than just speaking. It represents what building trust looks like. It represents how much time it sometimes can take to build relationships. It represents the value of not just showing up in a community to “do good work” but the real intention and heart it takes to change communities who have suffered from decades of segregation.
A young woman must stay engaged. They must identify what it is that makes them spark, what they are passionate about. They must put their head down, stay focused and realize distractions are going to come. I believe that a woman has an incredibly unique role especially, in this city. It is hard. It is so hard. But our next generations need us, and it is our compassionate hearts that can truly be a voice for so many of them.
We’d love to learn more about your work. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc.
I love people. I love digging in. I love intentional relationships, a number of them that are hard fought for. I care deeply for the poor, and I feel it is my responsibility to ensure our next generation has better opportunities than the one before them.
Managing Mayor’s Rising Star Council is more than just a Leadership Academy to me. These kids have become my life. They are attached to my bank account. There are several of them on my wireless account. I pay their college tuition and their books. They stay with me when they are home from college (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Summer). One graciously totaled my car this past summer. I will do whatever I have to do to ensure these kids are successful. I have taken them to bail their parents out of jail. I answer their regular late-night calls of asking if the depression and anxiety they feel is real. I have held them as they sob in my arms. I have provided tough love, for most of which who have never experienced that before.
These kids matter. This isn’t about showing up in a neighborhood and offering the next greatest program. This is about taking them in, whatever that looks like and giving them an opportunity to be successful and most of the time that is not a pretty process but is almost always a beautiful outcome.
Do you have a lesson or advice you’d like to share with young women just starting out?
It matters. Whatever “it” is. It matters. You matter. Your value matters. Your work matters. Your passion matters. There will be several obstacles to accomplishing “good work,” but it all matters. On the days that are hard, dig in deeper. On the days that seem meaningless, keep pushing. On the days when all is well, say your prayers of thanks and recognize that it is YOU and your passion that is paving the way for the future.
No one can “tell” you how hard it is, and the beauty comes from walking through the journey and staying strong in the process.
Contact Info:
- Email: cmyers@edcorhealth.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christie.l.myers
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