Finishing school with a degree in Kinesiology in hand, Jerita Mitchell thought a career awaited her in a hospital or clinical setting. Instead, she discovered it on the playing field. 

An Up2Us Sports Program Director for New Orleans since 2019, Jerita began her work in sports-based youth development in August 2017 as an Up2Us Coach at ReNEW Schools, after coming across a job listing online. She had gone back to school at that time, and was in her 2nd year of a Master’s program in Kinesiology—the study of human movement—with a focus on cardiac rehab. Jerita was already familiar with giving back; growing up on the Westbank of New Orleans, she had been part of a church that was actively involved in serving the community. She knew there were practical benefits to serving with AmeriCorps, such as an education stipend. She also had a sports background, and warm relationships with her coaches—some of whom are still her in life. Jerita signed on, unaware that she was about to change her career trajectory.  

The seed of change was planted on her first day of coaching. A 7th grade girl approached Jerita and asked if she would be back the following day. Jerita assured her she would be back. “She said, ’Are you sure you’re gonna be here tomorrow?’ [I said], ‘I’m going to be here tomorrow, and the next day, day after that…’ And she came back and asked me again…and she [said], ‘You know, a lot of the teachers that we like around here usually don’t stay, because they say we’re too bad.’ That really pulled on my heartstrings…to know that kids from the same city I’m from don’t have those [positive] relationships with their coaches, their teachers.” Jerita understood the power of a caring adult in a child’s life: she attributes much of her own success and growth to the presence of supportive coaches and mentors as she was growing up. “I don’t know where I would be without that.” Jerita’s heart was officially in coaching.

Jerita carried on in her Master’s program while serving, and her experience as a coach began to shape her studies. Up until then, she had mostly studied adult and elderly populations. As her attention shifted to children and youth, she found it more difficult to find existing studies on kids. In the years since then, and particularly in the wake of Covid-19, much more has come out about the positive effects of exercise on children’s mental health. But at the time, with fewer clinical studies to consult, Jerita was impressed by what she gained from Up2Us Sports’ curriculum. “I was paying tuition to learn some of the things that I learned in [the Up2Us Sports] training.” She was particularly impressed by the accessibility of the information that the curriculum provided, and that it was given freely to those who signed on to serve. “You have this program that’s taking community members, and teaching them some of the same things [taught in a specialized, academic program].” 

Jerita coached for a year and a half—two service terms, with the second term cut short when she was offered, and accepted, the role of Program Manager. Although she was passionate about coaching and working directly with kids, her dedication to service and creating space for others to serve inspired her to take the Program Manager role. Jerita is dedicated to finding those who truly want to give back to their city, and making sure they have the opportunity to do so. “There’s a lot of talk about [giving back], so I like to find people who are really about it and who can dedicate a year to service. That has been rewarding, because a lot of the coaches have come back and said they weren’t aware that this space existed.” A space that is not simply about teaching kids to win in sport, but “teaching kids how to talk to each other, to play on the same team, conflict-management skills. I’ve seen some amazing things happen, especially this past year, with kids who are being reintroduced to the space of play after being inside for over a year.” 

Jerita came to Up2Us Coach in the spirit of service and landed in a full-time job with Up2Us Sports. She acknowledges that the journey was not always easy; while coaching, she also juggled the demands of full-time graduate work and two other jobs. Still, she remained completely committed to the kids she served. “After that first day [I thought], ‘Something else is gonna have to go before [coaching] goes.’ I felt like I was aligning with my purpose, so I stuck with it.” For those interested in giving back through service or nonprofit work, Jerita can attest that the payoff is worth the challenge. “Nonprofit work is some of the hardest work on the planet, but if you’re passionate, there’s going to be a moment every day that makes the work worthwhile.”     

Jerita served as Up2Us Sports coach from August 2017 through February 2019 at ReNEW Schools in New Orleans thanks to support from AmeriCorps and Volunteer Louisiana. She was hired full-time by Up2Us Sports in February 2019 as a Program Manager and promoted to Program Director in September 2020.

Read more about Jerita’s journey in this interview with Sports As A Job from July 2020.