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When I first came to Lookout Mountain Conservancy, I had too much energy and no real place to put it. I was always moving, always talking, always doing something, but not always the right things. People would tell me I played too much. Teachers, classmates, even coworkers here at LMC. At first, I brushed it off. That’s just who I was, right? But deep down, I knew I needed something different. I just didn’t know what.

Being part of the program was never about filling someone else’s shoes for me. I’m the fourth in my family to come through here. My brother Tay- he’s the one who showed me it’s not about walking the same path as someone else. It’s about figuring out your own direction and taking control of your outcome. That’s something he said to me a lot: “You decide how it ends.” That stuck.

Before I joined, I didn’t think about direction much. I didn’t have a plan. I had ideas, like maybe doing animation or drawing, but nothing solid. But LMC helped change that. They gave me space to explore who I was and what I wanted to do. One year, I got to job shadow someone in animation. That hands-on experience showed me what I liked... and what I didn’t. And that kind of trial and error is how I figured out what I really want: architecture.

Now I’ve got a vision. I want to create a space like LMC one day. A place where kids like me can come early, middle school age, before things get too off track. I want to build a place that gives them guidance, structure, and a real support system. A place that helps them learn to lead and take ownership of their future the way this program did for me.

But I didn’t start out like that. My first year or two, I struggled. I was stuck. I didn’t even realize it until I looked around and saw the people I came in with leveling up, getting new shirts, taking leadership roles… and I was still in the same spot. That’s when it hit me: if no one was taking me seriously, maybe it was because I hadn’t given them a reason to.

I had to look in the mirror. I realized I wanted people to listen to me, to trust me, but I wasn’t giving them a reason to. So I made a choice. I started listening more. I started showing up differently. Less playing around when it was time to focus, more accountability for how I acted, whether things went right or wrong. And eventually, people noticed. The “you play too much” comments slowed down. People started actually listening to what I had to say.

That change didn’t happen overnight. Earning trust takes time. I had to show up consistently. I had to prove I could be serious when it counted. One moment that stands out was when I started leading tours for visitors. That was big for me. Being trusted to represent the program and explain what we do here, to speak with pride and knowledge, it meant something. And Ms. Robyn kept putting me on those tours. That told me I was doing something right.

There were still some bumps along the way. I got suspended once, over cake of all things. Long story short, there was a misunderstanding, and it turned into a bigger deal than it should have been. At the time, I thought I did the right thing by walking away. But I still got caught up in the consequences. Looking back, I see the lesson: slow down. Even when you think you’re doing the right thing, take a minute to listen, reflect, and think about how your actions affect the people around you.

That’s one of the biggest things I learned here: reflection. The ability to step back and see yourself clearly is powerful. It’s what helped me get unstuck. And once I started doing that, I realized I wanted to help other people get unstuck too.

I’ve brought a lot of people into this program- cousins, friends, even people I barely knew but saw potential in. I’d ask them, “What are you doing with your time?” And if the answer was nothing, I’d tell them about LMC. I’d explain how it’s not just a job, but a place where you learn, where people actually care, where you can figure out who you want to be. And then I’d help them get in. I take a lot of pride in that.

Some of those people came back to me and said thank you. Said the program opened doors for them. That they saw change in themselves. That’s when I knew my plan was working. That’s what this became for me: not just personal growth, but a mission to give back, to bring others with me.

And it’s still going. Even as I get ready to graduate and head off to Tuskegee to study architecture, I’m thinking about how to keep the plan alive. I want to keep helping others, especially the ones who feel lost or overlooked like I did when I first showed up. Because that’s what this program is really about. It’s not just tools and trails and workdays. It’s about building something inside yourself and then using that to build up others.

 

I’ve come a long way from that kid who couldn’t slow down. Now I’m someone who wants to build things that last. Who thinks before reacting. Who listens first. Who shows up.

And honestly, I think that’s the biggest change of all.

If I had never joined LMC, I don’t know where I’d be. I might still be stuck in my own head, without a plan, scared about graduation and what comes next. But I’m not. I’m ready. I’ve already taken the steps. I know who I want to be.

To anyone thinking about joining this program, I’d say this: It’s not going to change you overnight. You’ve got to put in the work. You’ve got to be willing to grow. But if you do, you’ll come out stronger. You’ll come out knowing yourself better. And if you’re like me, you’ll come out wanting to bring other people with you.

That’s what I’m proud of. That’s what I’ll carry with me long after I leave.

-Quintez