Young Brothers Academy is a passion for Justus Cox, a graduate of the Anderson University College of Education.
Cox is executive director of Young Brothers Academy and is also middle school assistant principal at Legacy Early College, both located in Greenville.
Built on the pillars of education, empowerment and exposure for middle and high school students, Young Brothers Academy meets on the second and fourth Saturday of each month for workshops and inspiring guest speakers. They also expose young men whom they call scholars to volunteer and career opportunities and go on college tours. Young Brothers Academy teaches more than 40 young scholars the importance of accountability and hard work.
“It’s always been in my heart to start a mentoring program like Young Brothers Academy,” said Cox, who along with friend Breylon Jones and Andre Sullivan, established the 501(c)3 nonprofit in 2018 with the mission of educating, empowering and exposing young men to the world around them, helping them to discover the greatness they hold within them.
Young Brothers Academy has also kicked off Project Renew, a new initiative focused on mental health and available resources that will benefit not only the young men they serve, but their parents as well.
Cox received his bachelor of arts in elementary education and his master of education in administration and supervision from Anderson University. While at Anderson, Cox received Outstanding College Student honors from the Riley Institute. He also led a group at AU called Campus Connect and was involved in intramural sports. Cox was a member of the Anderson University chapter of Call Me MISTER, a program that recruits African-American men to become elementary school teachers and become role models. More recently, Greenville Business Magazine selected Cox to its Best and Brightest 35 and Under for his dedication to young scholars at Young Brothers Academy.
Cox feels that Anderson University equipped him well for his current role at Young Brothers Academy, providing lasting leadership lessons through his involvement in Call Me MISTER and also from President Evans Whitaker. Another inspiration for Cox was a trip to Ghana, funded by the Fulbright-Hays Scholarship, to study the connection between Ghanaian and African American history, culture, and language; and also to observe their educational system.
The Anderson University College of Education
The Anderson University College of Education
