It's back-to-school season, and both students and teachers in Nashville and abroad are getting ready for new books, new friends, and new lessons. There's a lot of "new," but I'm sure Mikayla Nash's students weren't expecting to get new shoes when they walked into her classroom this week.
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Nash is a Restorative Practices Specialist at John Early Middle School and is also the founder of Drip Drive. For three years now, Drip Drive has been providing low-income families with brand-name clothing to start the school year. The idea is to provide students with clothing that makes them feel comfortable, but also confident.
This year, Nash started off the school year by giving away 100 pairs of Air Force 1s to her students. She partnered with JD Sports, a retailer specializing in popular athletic wear.
The Story Behind Nash's Nonprofit
In an interview with The Nashville Voyager, Nash described the inspiration behind this idea. Early on in her teaching career, she said, "[She] soon learned that a majority of our students' absences and behavior incidents stemmed from them not feeling confident in the clothing that they were wearing." Nash said she could relate to the feeling, as she comes from a similar background to the kids she usually teaches.
So, in 2022, she set out to do something about it. For 12 weeks, while spreading the idea of "Drip Drive" around via word of mouth and social media, Nash started to collect gently used kids' clothing. That first year alone, more than 1,500 items were donated. Nash has been tackling self-esteem in the classroom ever since.
After attending a "Drip Drive," students walk away owning pieces from clothing brands like Nike, Jordan, Gucci, and Dior. They walk away not only with new "drip" but also with a new sense of confidence, which Nash says is the most important thing. In March, after presenting Drip Drive to Tennessee's State Representative, Nash started a private foundation called the Confidence Campaign. Through this, Mikayla will be able to bring her nonprofit to students throughout Tennessee and beyond.
Photo via Drip Drive on Instagram
