Featured Alumni

Kendric Payne
Class of 1994

Kendric Payne, MC Class of 1994, graduated from Central High School and completed his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Yale University in 1998. Kendric went on to pursue his Juris Doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania which he completed in 2001. Kendric is currently an Associate at the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP in Washington,DC. Kendric credits MC for his success, "I will forever be indebted to The Memphis Challenge because the program strongly encouraged me to apply to colleges that I mistakenly believed were beyond my reach. As a direct result of my trajectory changing experience with The Memphis Challenge, I attended a college that exposed me to endless opportunities to pursue and accomplish what were once unimaginable goals and the experience gave me an unwavering appreciation for my Memphis roots."


Victoria Shannon
Class of 1999

Victoria Shannon graduated, cum laude, from Harvard College and with an A.B. in psychology in 2003. After graduating from college, Victoria participated in the inaugural class of the Harvard University Presidential Management Fellowship Program, where she served as the External Relations Fellow in the Office of Government, Community and Public Affairs before attending Harvard Law School. After graduating from law school in 2007, Victoria worked as an associate at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in San Francisco, California, where she specialized in bond and tax-credit financing and matters involving American Indian tribes. Presently, Victoria is the Deputy Director of Arbitration and ADR, North America, for the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), in which capacity she serves as a liaison between the ICC International Court of Arbitration and the arbitration community in the North American region. Victoria currently resides in New York City.


Jamien Sills
Class of 1997

Jamien Sills, MC Class of 1997 is a graduate of East High School and remains actively involved in the MC program. Jamien now resides between Memphis, TN and Putian, China, running his own footwear, design, and manufacturing and distribution company, Neimaj, Inc. Jamien began designing shoes at the early age of 8. He has honed his craft earning a bachelor of fine arts in both graphic and advertising design from Washington University in St. Louis prestigious School of Art in 2001. He has garnered extensive experience in the footwear industry, having done freelance work for some of the biggest names in the industry, and serving as the Creative Director for the Gametime Athletics footwear company. Jamien recently returned to the U.S. after spending 10 months in mainland China studying footwear design and manufacturing.


Austin Webster
Class of 2002

Austin Webster graduated from Ridgeway High School in 2002 and completed his B.F.A. in Industrial Design at Savannah College of Art and Design in 2006. Austin credits The Memphis Challenge with helping him develop the tools necessary to be effective in corporate America. He is currently an industrial designer for Hunter Fan Company, located in Memphis, Tennessee. His responsibilities include developing ceiling fan concepts for Lowe's, Home Depot, Menards, and Lighting Showrooms, while also maintaining the department's trend research. Austin and his wife, Melissa, reside in the Cooper-Young district of Midtown.


De'Anna Woodson
Class of 2003

De'Anna Woodson graduated from Whitehaven High School in 2003 and completed her Bachelor of Science cum laude in Human and Organization Development with a minor in Managerial Studies from Vanderbilt University in 2007. Since becoming apart of the Memphis Challenge, De'Anna has interned at Time Warner Cable (now Comcast in Memphis) from 2003-2005 has a Human Resources intern and Accounts Payable/Payroll intern which eventually assisted in her obtaining a full-time position with Time Customer Service, Inc. - a Time Warner company - in Tampa Florida where she worked as the Senior Human Resources Generalist from 2007-2008. She currently resides in Memphis, TN and is employed by Cumberland Consulting Group, LLC where she works as a consultant. According to De'Anna "My experience with the Memphis Challenge has been very valuable and enlightening. The Memphis Challenge assisted me in preparing for the ACT, college essay writing, networking skills, interviewing techniques, obtaining my first internship, and so much more."