Being surrounded by supportive women during her youth has influenced this FAMU alumna to create an organization dedicated to empowering young women.
Shaqualyn Shedrick decided to pursue her life’s purpose by creating the mentoring organization SHE Academy Inc.
Shedrick was born and raised in Miami, Florida. In 2011, as a first-generation student, she traveled to Tallahassee to attend Florida A&M University. Four years later, she received her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a minor in psychology and began working with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
While employed at FDLE, Shedrick founded SHE Academy in April 2019. After seven months of establishing the organization, she courageously resigned from her position at FDLE and fully embraced her life’s purpose.
“I was raised around strong, positive role models, and in order to fill that gap, you have to be available. So, leaving FDLE was to make myself available to give them that space to get the things they need and promote emotional, mental, and social wellness,” Shedrick said.
SHE Academy, which stands for “Supporting Her Endeavors,” is a non-profit organization founded to guide and support young women working diligently to achieve their goals.
Shedrick developed the idea to create SHE Academy because she disagreed with the representation of young women on social media and sought a solution.
“I was tired of seeing what I saw, and not only that, I wanted to give back what was given to me,” she said.
Nailah McMillin, a student at Rickards High School, has been part of SHE Academy since 2021 and appreciates the support she receives from Shedrick.
“She’s like a second mom to me. I feel like I can tell her everything because she doesn’t judge me at all,” McMillian said.
The program operates year-round and is available to teenage girls in grades 8-12. The organization benefits youth through impactful mentorship, self-empowerment, and the cultivation of healthy relationships.
“We’re promoting emotionally intelligent young ladies who are able to make their own decisions and not be easily persuaded, manipulated and gaslighted,” Shedrick said.
Valerie Belizaire, a Pace Center for Girls student, has had an amazing experience with SHE Academy and highly recommends it to other teenage girls.
“Overall, it has been fun, and I would recommend it to all girls out there because it will help build you into a better person,” Belizaire said.
SHE Academy is located at 1637 Metropolitan Blvd., Suite A-2.