Today we’d like to introduce you to Cass Taylor.
Hi Cass, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in East Tennessee and graduated from Clinton High School in 2015. Growing up as a bi-racial girl, I wrestled quite a bit with finding a place where I truly belonged. I felt misunderstood a lot. I fell in love with sports and poured myself into them at a young age. In my junior year of high school, I had a knee injury that changed everything. My identity was shaken, and for the first time, I was faced with the reality that everything in this world had an ending. I wasn’t sure what to do with that. One of my friends invited me to the Young Life club on a Monday night, and for the first time, I felt like I wasn’t too much or insufficient. I felt like I belonged. I kept showing up throughout the year and built a relationship with my Young Life leader. My parents worked full-time because money was tight, and I had to miss most of my extra-curricular activities, so it meant so much to me that she would show up to everything. She got to know me, listened intently to my heart, and never made me feel invalid or annoyed. She even helped me apply for college, and I became the first in my immediate family to graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Tennessee Tech University! What changed everything was when she talked to me about Jesus. I didn’t grow up attending church, so I didn’t know much about Him. I remember hearing her say that He loves me. She taught me how to read the Bible, and I watched her live out what it truly means to be a follower of Jesus. I began to follow Him, too, and as soon as I got to college, I knew I wanted to be a Young Life leader and show up for teenagers just like my leader did for me. So, I did. I was a leader throughout college and went on staff after I graduated.
I moved to Jackson, TN, where I spent four years on staff with Young Life. In those four years, I kept mentoring young people, but I also got to serve my local community and partner with other organizations. I got to train college students and send them to high schools to show up for kids and tell them about Jesus. The most beautiful thing about what we do is we continue pursuing people no matter their response to Jesus. We are an outreach ministry, and we love every single kid! The opportunity to be the East Knoxville Area Director came up in the middle of my fourth year in Jackson. This role excited me for many reasons!
Being Bi-Racial, I have truly found the gift in being made up of two races, which has led me to be passionate about cultivating spaces of belonging for any and everyone. Also, my family lives here, and I have been away for 8 years! Lastly, I love what I do, and it is my most incredible honor and privilege to walk alongside kids and their families in this community and share the hope I have found in Christ. I moved here in July, and it has been such a joy to join hands with all of the other incredible people and organizations serving in East Knoxville! Young Life began at Austin East in 1998 with a dear friend named Emily Huck, who still works for Young Life in Knoxville today. April Jackson was after her, another dear friend of mine. I am standing on the shoulders of women I want to be like and highly respect, and it is an honor to be here now!
It wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Life is not easy! As I mentioned earlier, I struggled with belonging growing up. Also, once I got into college and moved away, it was a struggle paving the way and learning how to navigate as the first in my immediate family. More recently, one of my dear friends that I went to high school with was tragically killed, and that has taken a toll on my community and me. I was even moving here and stepping into a new leadership role in a new place. Also, as Young Life leaders, we know a lot of kids at Austin East, and we could always use more adults willing to join us!
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am the East Knoxville Area Director for Young Life. I oversee Austin East, Carter, CMA, South Doyle, L+N Stem, and Fulton ministry. About 50 volunteer Young Life leaders are spread across all 6 of those schools. Our mission is to introduce adolescents to Jesus Christ and help them grow in their faith. We get to live that out by showing up, having weekly Young Life Club gatherings, weekly bible studies, and going on camp trips. You can find my team and I at football games, school plays, the school cafeteria, with students at Likewise Coffee Shop or the local Chick-fil-A, and just about anywhere that kids are. I spend my time getting to know students and people/organizations in the community. I plan weekly events and trips to Young Life Camp. I train Young Life leaders and develop them for whatever God has next for them. I invite people to partner with us in prayer, volunteering, or support in any way they feel led. I am known for inviting people into their purpose by living out mine. I am most proud of the people I have known so far! I am proud of the students at Austin East for who they are and who they are becoming. I am proud of the faculty and staff for encouraging and setting up students to succeed. I am proud of the community and the organizations I’m serving alongside for the work that they are doing. I’m proud of my leaders and how they give their lives away. I’m just proud of us, the people of East Knoxville.
Can you talk to us about happiness and what makes you happy?
I love getting to listen to people’s stories and cheer them on! Encouraging people is what makes me happy. It’s amazing what a little bit of support can do for someone and what giving support can do for you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://knoxville.younglife.org
- Instagram: @knoxvilleyounglife
- Facebook: Cassidy Taylor
