Hundreds of Choose901 Alumni Are Ready to Work in the 901

May is here. And every May, something happens in this city that I don't think we celebrate enough.

Memphis Students becoming College Graduates!

From our universities. Our colleges. Our programs. Locally and across the country. And some of them, like most of them, actually, want to stay or come home to Invest & Enjoy their lives in the 901!

They want to work here. Build here. Raise families here. Pour back into the city that poured into them.

That is a big deal. And I need your help making sure it actually happens.

Meet Three Choose901 Alumni Ready to Work in the 901

These aren't hypothetical candidates. These are real people, with real degrees, who really want to be here.

Raven Williams

• B.A. in Psychology

• Minor in Child Development & Spanish

• University of Memphis — Summa Cum Laude

• University Honors

Raven Williams graduated at the top of her class and is heading into a Clinical Mental Health Counseling master's program this fall. She's bilingual, has been in the research lab and assisted with group therapy, and is building toward becoming a therapist who provides culturally responsive care to children and families.

Memphis kids need advocates like Raven. And Memphis organizations need people like her on their teams.

Nakayla Yancey

• B.A. in Psychology & Africana Studies in '24

• And now a Master’s in social work from the University of Memphis '26

Nakayla Yancey is a recent graduate from the University of Memphis with a Master’s Degree in Social Work and a Graduate Certificate in School Social Work. She was recently acknowledged as the recipient of the Ida B. Wells Advocacy and Leadership MSW Award and an inductee of the Phi Alpha National Social Work Honor Society.  

Nakayla is deeply committed to supporting and empowering youth through advocacy and service. She plans to pursue a career in school social work, where she can make a meaningful impact in students’ lives.

Mitzi Puentes

• B.S. in Health Sciences

• University of Memphis 

• Currently a Physical Therapy Technician at Campbell Clinic Orthopaedics

Mitzi Puentes graduated from the University of Memphis with her degree in Health Sciences and has already been putting it to work, gaining hands-on clinical experience as a PT tech at one of Memphis's most respected orthopaedic practices. She's ready to take the next step into inpatient physical therapy, and she wants to do it here in the 901.

If you're a Memphis hospital or rehab facility looking for someone who already knows the work and is ready to grow, Mitzi is your person.

This Is the Talent. Memphis Is the Opportunity.

Here's what I know to be true: one of the biggest threats to this city's future is talent leaving.

And one of the biggest opportunities we have is keeping it here.

These three are ready. But they're not the only ones. Hundreds of Choose901 Alumni are graduating this spring and looking to plant roots in the 901.

If you're a Memphis employer, a nonprofit leader, a business owner and you're looking for talent, I want to connect you.

Fill out this survey and join the talent pipeline. Tell us what you're looking for. We'll help you find the right person.

And if you know someone who needs to see this, forward it to them right now.

Memphis needs Memphians. Especially the ones who chose to become one.