MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Every Tuesday as part of our Greater Memphis on a Mission series, we highlight organizations making Memphis better. This week, we caught up with a group that believes in enhancing the academic experience for all.

Keauna Cheers has been an educator for 22 years. Over the years, she spent time as a gifted teacher to a narrow demographic but wanted to expose others to academic experiences too.

“Who says another demographic can’t benefit from that? Who says that a child can’t benefit from dissecting an owl palette or dissecting the sheep brain, or going to a museum in the city that they’ve never been to before?” said Cheers.

In 2018, Cheers created the Beyond Educating Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps enrich learning and expand perspectives for children, families, and communities. One of their main programs revolves around developing a growth mindset through STEAM.

“We use the acronym of STEAM. The ‘S’ is the science of parenthood, the science of healthy habits, and the science of health care,” she said.

‘T’ is for trauma-free technology. It’s designed to leverage technology as a tool for healing and growth.

“Then you have the ‘E,’ which is economics and entrepreneurship. Understanding your finances, building your credit, and repairing your credit,” Cheers said.

‘A’ is for art and healing.

“You have music, you have poetry, you have building things, you have creating things,” she said.

And ‘M’ is for mindfulness. It’s designed to encourage participants to become more aware of their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

Each month they bring in organizations that expose residents in the community to a wide variety of opportunities. From health care to flight school to new skills for a new career path. They even partner with Southwest Community College.

“Their mobile lab, they come and bring virtual reality to our location. They bring in simulators with the flight simulator at our location, the VR glasses,” said Cheers.

That is why Brown Missionary Baptist Church and the Mid-South Genesis CDC donated $1,000 to the Beyond Educating Foundation. Because when you take education plus exposure, it will always lead to success.

Their next event is slated for Saturday, February 8 from 12 to 2 p.m., and is free to attend.