Kandace Stevenson

Bringing Out The Best In Greenville

Master of Science in Community Development

Graduated, Spring 2018

Master of Science in Social Justice and Criminology

Graduated, Spring 2018

Greenville, MS

Kandace (Lewis) Stevenson is a proud native of Greenville, Mississippi, deeply rooted in the Mississippi Delta community. She graduated from Spelman College in just three years and joined Teach For America in 2014. Kandace taught Algebra 1 at Greenville High School and later 4th grade math and social studies at Carrie Stern Elementary. She transitioned to become the Gifted teacher at T.R. Sanders Elementary in Hollandale, MS, during her fourth year of teaching. While her current role is not publicly known, Kandace’s commitment to her community remains clear.

Project: Bring Out The Best in Greenville

During her fellowship from 2016 to 2018, Kandace led the Bringing Out The Best In Greenville project. Initially focused on providing youth real-world experience through the All Star Cheer program, the project evolved into a collaborative effort uniting multiple local organizations. This blended initiative aimed to offer diverse events and activities fostering youth engagement and community cohesion across Greenville.

Key milestones included the creation of the CSE Cheer Eagles—Greenville’s first national competition all-star cheer team—active participation in the Local Organizing Committee (LOC), and the launch of city-wide events such as the National NonViolent Weekend, which successfully involved youth and organizations citywide. Under Kandace’s leadership, the LOC expanded nationally with increased grant support and community partnerships, reflecting the growing impact of her vision to strengthen Greenville’s youth and community ties.

Kandace’s fellowship experience highlighted the power of collaboration and youth empowerment as catalysts for positive community change, laying a foundation for continued growth and impact in Greenville and beyond.