By Amanda Moses
On October 7th, Spring Creek Towers’ (SCT) Teen Central (TC) Director Lonai Mosely bid farewell to the program as she pursues artistic endeavors elsewhere. Mosley has always made it her mission to uplift and empower each and every member of the program, whether they were a teen or staff. Throughout her tenure at SCT, she has cultivated a multimedia program that showcased the vast and brilliant world of digital photography and advocated for the arts and cultural enrichment for her students.
For staff, like Eileen Level, the former TC Teaching Artist (and now Co-Founder of the Young Adults Program) Mosley had a profound effect on her life. She showcased a level of professionalism, enthusiasm, and creativity that inspired those around her to do more, and be better.
“Lonai was a creative force that forever changed Teen Central and ushered in a new era of youth engagement with arts at the helm. She was a champion of both media arts education, and community involvement, making it her mission to ensure that every member sought enlightenment. She wanted to elevate their experience and give them a fresh perspective on how they can create an impact with their natural gifts. Only a multifaceted savant could easily develop an entirely new program with a new school approach without even breaking a sweat. Her toolkit of knowledge could bring down Goliath himself,” Level said.
Teens would often text or call Mosley personally to find out what fun new project they would be working on that week. She truly made after school activities fun for teenagers that may be jaded by typical educational programming. Additionally, she always believed in creating a safe space for teens to share their doubts, fears, and any trepidations without judgment.
Mosley made it a top priority to inquire what the teens interests were and ensured that workshops and educational discussions were made available, so that they could always have their future careers at the forefront of their minds.
“’We’re going to have fun!’” is something she would often tease the teens with, who so often and too easily would want to disengage, but never on her watch! As my mentor she held nothing back! It was an honor to learn from her, beside her, and with her. We were a dream team that made a difference with the media arts program she founded,” Level added.
Mosley always held an open-door policy for both parents and teens. During these sessions, teens have become motivated and signed up to participate in youth employment, while others learned new passions that they didn’t realize they had.
Photo courtesy of TC
