Heart-Centered Advocacy: How Shontia Young Is Making a Difference at Detroit Merit Academy
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Some of the most important people in a school building aren’t always standing at the front of a classroom. They’re the people who notice when a student seems different. The people who ask questions before making assumptions. The people who understand that behind every challenge, there’s often a story waiting to be heard.

At Detroit Merit Academy, that person is Shontia Young. As the school’s attendance liaison, Shontia’s job title only tells part of the story. While attendance is certainly part of her work, her real impact comes from something much deeper: building relationships, advocating for students, and helping ensure every child feels seen, heard, and supported.

Her dedication to students recently earned her a nomination for Advocate of the Year, a recognition that reflects not only the work she does every day, but the heart she brings to it.
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Looking Beyond the Surface

In schools across the country, educators and support staff face the challenge of helping students navigate obstacles that extend far beyond academics.

A student who is struggling in class may be dealing with challenges at home. A child acting out may be carrying emotional burdens that others can’t see. Frequent absences might be tied to circumstances far more complicated than simply missing school.

Shontia understands that reality. Rather than focusing only on the behavior she sees, she looks for the reason behind it. As she explains, what appears to be a behavioral issue is often rooted in an unmet need.

Sometimes a student is hungry. Sometimes they’re overwhelmed. Sometimes they simply need someone to listen.

By taking the time to understand the whole story, Shontia helps create solutions that address the actual problem—not just the symptoms. It’s an approach rooted in compassion, and it’s one that has made a lasting impact on countless students.
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The Hard Work of Caring

Advocacy isn’t always easy. In fact, Shontia is the first to acknowledge that the work can be difficult. Supporting students means carrying concerns, solving problems, and often stepping into situations where answers aren’t immediately clear. It requires patience, empathy, and a willingness to meet people where they are.

But it’s also work she deeply loves. Every day presents opportunities to help a student overcome a challenge, reconnect with school, or simply feel valued.

For Shontia, those moments matter. Whether she’s helping address attendance barriers, connecting families with resources, or offering encouragement to a student who’s having a difficult day, her focus remains the same: making sure children have what they need to succeed.

That commitment doesn’t go unnoticed. Students know they can trust her. Teachers know they can count on her. Families know she genuinely cares. Those relationships are built one conversation, one act of kindness, and one moment of support at a time.
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More Than a School Employee

What makes Shontia’s work so impactful is that it doesn’t stop when the school day begins or ends. Her influence reaches beyond attendance records and office walls. She serves as a connector between students, families, educators, and community resources. When needs arise, she’s often one of the first people working to find solutions.

That ability to build bridges has made her an essential part of the Detroit Merit Academy community.

Ask colleagues about Shontia, and you’ll hear a common theme: she shows up. She shows up for students who need encouragement. She shows up for families navigating challenges. She shows up for staff members working to help children succeed. And she does it all with authenticity and compassion.

In many ways, her role represents what advocacy is truly about—not speaking for people, but standing alongside them.
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What Advocacy Really Means

The word “advocate” gets used often, but Shontia gives it meaning through action. For her, advocacy means standing in the gap.

It means speaking up when a student needs support. It means recognizing potential before someone sees it in themselves. It means helping children understand that they matter.

Advocacy is not always a grand gesture. Sometimes it’s a conversation in a hallway. Sometimes it’s a phone call home. Sometimes it’s making sure a student has access to resources they didn’t know existed.

The impact of those moments can be enormous. When children know someone believes in them, they begin to believe in themselves. When they feel supported, they’re more willing to engage. When they feel valued, they’re more likely to thrive.

That’s the ripple effect of advocacy.
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Recognition for a Purpose-Driven Career

Being nominated for Advocate of the Year was an exciting moment for Shontia, but recognition isn’t what motivates her. Like many people working in education and youth development, she sees helping students as part of who she is.

The nomination simply shines a light on what so many people already know: her work matters. The students she supports matter. And the relationships she builds are helping create a stronger, more supportive school community.

Awards celebrate achievements, but the real measure of Shontia’s impact can be found in the students whose lives have been changed because someone took the time to care.
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Creating a Brighter Future

At its core, education is about more than academics. It’s about helping young people discover their potential, overcome obstacles, and build a future filled with opportunity. That work requires teachers, administrators, families, and advocates working together.

It requires people like Shontia Young. Her willingness to look beyond the surface, address root causes, and support students with empathy and understanding demonstrates the kind of leadership that strengthens schools and communities alike.

Detroit Merit Academy is better because of her dedication. More importantly, countless students are better because of her belief in them. And that’s exactly what advocacy looks like.