Brittany Wagner is taking her mission of helping at-risk athletes to the next level with a brand new company, 10 Thousand Pencils. The Last Chance U star is aiming to provide academic counseling and life skills coaching just as she did at East Mississippi Community College. The job could send her on the road, which means she may soon be helping athletes at a school near you.
“I’m really excited about it,” Wagner said to AL.com. “I’ve got some really good people helping me, and some good clients in the works. I’m excited about being able to open the door for more athletes to benefit, for more athletes to have that help.
It is Wagner’s goal to act as a complement to existing school counselors and advisers in schools and not take away from the work they already do. Instead, she will be available to help with transcripts and forming academic plans for individuals who need the specialized assistance.
“Obviously, they’re going to have advisors and counselors at their school, and I don’t want overstep my boundaries in that area,” Wagner said. “But to help him evaluate the plan that’s in place, and do weekly meetings over Skype or Facetime for an hour. Asking ‘what have you got this week, how can we manage your time, what’s going on with you?’ Basically, be a resource where that kid has access to me, where they need to talk or they don’t know how to do something.”
Excited to announce my return to athletics! Coming soon: my new company providing academic counseling/life coaching to athletes everywhere! pic.twitter.com/4phhj2eIBY
— Brittany Wagner (@Brittany_MSgirl) June 10, 2017
To start out, this will be a one-person company for Wagner. The hope for Wagner is she will be able to build up the brand a bit and be able to reach out and hire others who can perform similar tasks and provide similar expert advice where needed. Having become a bit of a star on her own through the hit Netflix series should help get Wagner off on the right foot. The show still holds a special place in her heart as well, and not just for the fame and possible fortune.
“For me, the special part was that it really inspired people,” Wagner explained. “I get emails from Germany, from Norway, from Switzerland, and to hear those stories from people that I have inspired. I’ve had teachers tell me ‘I was walking away from education after this year, but you’ve inspired me to be better, and to continue to change the way I teach and to really get to know my students.’ I’ve had people with diseases who said they had pretty much given up the fight, and they’ve emailed me and said I inspired them to fight for their life.”
Wagner will be launching her own website soon and looks to be gearing up to be ready to get to work in enough time for the next school year.
Earlier this year, Wagner left EMCC for a job as sales and marketing director for a Birmingham-area chain restaurant.
[AL.com]
