Rising Stars: Meet Alyssa Broaddus of Nashville, TN

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyssa Broaddus.

Hi Alyssa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi! My name is Alyssa, and I am originally from Ellicott City, MD, which is where my journey begins. I would say my upbringing was quite privileged for a child living in a typical suburban area with white-collard parents. Unfortunately, my father was exhibiting behaviors that stemmed from his declining mental health during my early years, up until I was about 11 when he committed suicide. The year leading up to his death was a series of traumatic and confusing events that occurred while my parents were finalizing their divorce. My home life during this time was always changing, confusing, and hurtful- My rock of a mother, being a social worker, did her best to get my younger sister and I into counseling, provided love, support, stability – from what she could control, and had set us up in a community, extra curricular activities, and school system that provided me with so much strength and safety. My grandmother (Lolly <3) lived very close to us and was able to give us lots of love, stability, a home, and support as well. From a young age, I experienced two paradoxes: feeling grateful for the love, support, and community every time I felt grief or major loss from divorce events or my father’s passing, feeling very ostriziced that this wasn’t happening to any other kids/families in my community, but also at the same time wanting to understand what would bring a human being to want to leave this earth. It was from this moment I knew I wanted to be a teacher to provide others the support and love my teachers provided to me. I knew and felt from a young age that the impact was such a crucial part of my development, and my love for people and life.

I went on to be in the teacher academy in high school, and went to Towson University to pursue my Elementary/Special Education degree. I’m grateful for being raised and educated in the Maryland school system because of its special education programs. From a young age, our classrooms included all students, including those with disabilities, whom I always felt drawn to work with. Again, I knew what it felt like to be ostracized and different, and wanted to understand the workings of all of humanity’s brain from a young age. I wanted everyone to feel welcome and loved.

After living in Maryland my whole life up until I graduated undergrad, finding healing and joy from the beach, I decided to uproot and start my teaching career by the beach, in Florida. I taught for three years in Manatee County in a self-contained classroom with students who had autism. During these three years I poured my heart and soul into these classroom experiences, learning about how different the Flordia and Maryland systems were, exposing and connecting with communities and cultures, educating my teammates and their students about autism/inclusion, opening a brand new school, training para educators, being educated about trauma and the impants that have on children behaviors, and navigating our education system as a 23, 24, 25 year old. And boy, did I learn a lot. I knew I had so much more training to gain. So, I applied to one of the best special education programs in the country, Peabody-Vanderbilt to become a behavior analyst.

In 2021 I moved from St. Pete to Nashville to attend this program and experienced yet another community/culture shock. I was immediately impressed by all of the services and programs Tennessee had to offer in its school systems compared to Florida. I was so excited to learn. During my year-and-a-half program in the Vandy ABA program, I was able to collaborate with so many different companies and professionals in the school systems, and I knew I wanted to continue making Nashville my home and contribute to this awesome community. Currently, I am a BCBA for a company called Behavioral Progression, where I have been so grateful to work alongside amazing and ethical BCBAs who help foster community and independence within schools, workplaces, and family systems. I have been touched by so many amazing humans and their stories, and so grateful they allow us into their support systems. I have also been able to meet, explore, and build connections between my clients, businesses that are inclusive of individuals with disabilities. We have so many great businesses and humans here! Recently, one of my Vandy classmates reached out and invited me to help build upon another small business (autism-focused/owned) opportunity for our community. Blu Star Productions aligned with my values of providing connection, community, independence, and empowering authentic neurodiverse voices. I am so excited to watch and contribute to its growth!!

Since establishing my career, I feel like I have accomplished what my little inner child wanted me to achieve. And Nashville has been such a safe space where I have built an amazing circle of friends, routines, and connections. I have been able to spend some time healing, advocating for mental health, building hobbies, listening to live music, exploring, and processing my life experiences up until this point. I am grateful for the opportunity to share my story and continue to contribute to our community here in Nashville.

What are your plans for the future?
I am looking forward to establishing more of a personal life and creating more circles of people to relate and share life with

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.behavioralprogression.com/ and https://www.blustarproductions.com/
• Instagram: @alysmariee @blustarproductions