“I hope to see more revitalization within the South Memphis community by getting rid of the blight, provide more areas of leisure for people to reduce crime/morbidity and reshape the negative connotation.”
-Joyia Miller, Choose901 Alumni
Introduction to Choose901
Joyia Miller, a proud Choose901 Alum since 2016, came in contact with the organization following her graduation from Soulsville Charter School, one of six Choose901 Alumni partner schools in Memphis. She credits one of her favorite opportunities, the Exchange, an exclusive gathering for Choose901 Alumni to connect, collaborate, and celebrate with local professionals, as a resource that led to her internship at Soulsville Health Hub. “My experience with the Exchange was positive and I was able to network with like minded Alumni and community leaders at the Junior League. I was able to connect with people and ask them questions about career, what partner school they attend, and even received some contact information to maintain those professional connections with various individuals.”
Hope and Healthcare
Currently a second year master’s student at the University of Memphis, Joyia is planning to nurture a future with accessible medicine in developing areas. “My dream job is to become an osteopathic medicine physician and help people obtain quality healthcare specifically in lower income communities in Memphis, TN at little to no cost.”
For Soulsville and the greater South Memphis region, she sees potential to mitigate negativity and revitalize her community. “Soulsville is history within itself and it is important to enhance that with more positive activities/ways to entertain.”
The Soulsville Health Hub
Choose901 Alumni’s parent organization, City Leadership, connected her to Dee Gregory, a registered Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, who mentored Joyia. “We had an in person meeting at the City Leadership office and he wanted to know what my vision was for the future.” Dee saw an alignment with Joyia’s goals and the mission of Soulsville Health Hub, and got her in touch with Darnecia Garner, the Operations Manager of the nonprofit. From there, Joyia got an internship with the organization for the Summer of 2025.
Looking to the Future
Joyia is looking forward to working with the Soulsville Health Hub, which will allow her to enact her community outreach goals. “I hope to make new connections with people that share the same vision as I do with providing quality healthcare to lower income neighborhoods.”
After she attains her osteopathic medicine degree, she plans to open more small clinics, like the Soulsville Health Hub, that can provide high quality medical attention for disadvantaged neighborhoods at a low cost.
