Some stories continue because the people at the center of them lived with purpose.

​The story of the Tracey Carrington Scholars and Interns Initiative is one of them. It begins with a young woman whose leadership stretched far beyond the basketball court and a mentor who recognized early that her influence would outlive her.

Tracey Carrington entered Tiny Adams’ life through basketball, but she became much more than an athlete.

​The late Donald Beasley mentioned Tracey being talented and reminding him of Tiny, & after checking a few games out, Tiny saw the spark. She saw talent, discipline, and a young woman hungry to grow.

True impact is more than numbers, but at Leader Breeders, the numbers tell a powerful story.

​Around 30 students are currently engaged in one-on-one mentorship, meeting weekly with college mentors who help guide their academic, personal, and emotional growth. Those same college mentors also have mentors of their own, creating a multi-layered system of accountability and care that stretches from middle schoolers to organizational leaders.

​For Makya Vaughn, that structure changed everything. He joined Leader Breeders in eighth grade and found not just a mentor, but a brother figure. “Coach Tiny assigned me a mentor, and that’s my brodie,” he said.

​“He taught me how to be myself and to take school seriously. Student comes first, athlete after". 

Every young person deserves a place where they are seen, heard, and believed in. At Leader Breeders, that is what mentorship looks like. It shows up not only in sports, but in schoolwork, conversations, and the everyday spaces where growth happens.

​For Destiny Robinson, the journey began when she realized this community was not built to judge her, but to hold her. “My mentor helped me through things with my father and grandmother,” she said.

​“When my parents couldn’t be there, she was.” Coach Tiny became that steady figure who showed up, offering rides, workouts, or just a place to talk. “Even if I came in with a bad mood,” Destiny said, “I’d leave with a good one. She didn’t judge me by my past, only by who I was becoming.”