THE DAISY THAT GREW FROM CONCRETE

Hockaday grad DJ Poizon Ivy is budding into a new career

Story by ALYSSA HIGH

Every game night, Dallas Mavericks players can be found jamming out to their favorite songs and “getting hyped” as they warm up. A mix of Baltic, Latin and Afro beats can be heard by the nearly million guests that visit American Airlines Center to watch the Mavs play each year. Behind the scenes, DJ Poizon Ivy has carefully selected each song for the exact moment it’s played.

Ivy Awino grew up surrounded by music, something she attributes in part to her Kenyan upbringing.

“If you know anything about Kenyans, it’s that we love to have a great time,” Awino says. “Most of all we do is set to music in some capacity.”

Awino began playing piano at age 5 and moved into orchestra and choir in middle and high school. In college, Awino took a different musical path when she asked a fraternity brother to teach her how to DJ.

“My dorm room had always been the gathering spot, so I figured, ‘Why not add one more skill set to the repertoire?’” she says. “I learned how to DJ so I could entertain and throw parties and I was on college radio at the same time.”

Thus, Poizon Ivy was born. She moved from small gigs to large venues like Summerfest before shifting gears in her career once again. After connecting with WNBA player Skylar Diggins Smith, Awino became the touring DJ for her basketball team the Tulsa Shock, which was transitioning to become the Dallas Wings.

As the team’s official DJ during their inaugural season and the WNBA’s 20th anniversary, Awino played a large part in the production of each game.

“You’re almost like the score of a movie, working in tandem with all the other elements, whether it’s visuals or athlete preferences, you’re a part of a puzzle, a larger puzzle, which is the overarching production,” Awino says. “It’s just about knowing your purpose in that space.”

After a season with Dallas Wings, Awino accepted an open position as the official DJ for the Dallas Mavericks, where she was a ball girl as a child.

When Luka Doncic joined the team, Awino sought a way to make him feel more at home. She began playing more Balkan and Latin music during his warm-ups and focused on incorporating a variety of cultures into her playlists. She considers herself one of the first pioneers of playing Afro beats in the basketball arenas.

Awino has collected several accolades and celebrated many firsts over the years as DJ Poizon Ivy. She was the second-ever female NBA team DJ, the first woman to DJ the NBA All-Star Game, a four-time NBA All-Star DJ, and she made the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Sports list. Recently, she won the 2022 Ela Hockaday Distinguished Alumna Award.

The Ela Hockaday Distinguished Alumna Award honors women who are leaders in their fields and is presented annually to an alumna of The Hockaday School who has had a transformative effect on their communities, professions and families.

“I want to be remembered as the Daisy that grew from concrete,” Awino says of the accomplishment. “The foundation of the woman I am today was built on and guided by Ela Hockaday’s cornerstones; her vision of the values and characteristics that would distinguish graduates of this illustrious institution (are) reference points for all other stones laid subsequent to them.”

“Ivy is a true superstar,” says Kelsey Swingle Roberts, the Hockaday Alumnae Association president, in a press release. “She quickly rose to the top of a male-dominated industry, making an incredible name for herself in the music and sports world alike, all while continuing to give back to her local and international communities and raising a young Hockaday student. We are thrilled to honor her as the Ela Hockaday Distinguished Alumna this year. Ivy is an inspiration to the entire Hockaday community.”

Awino doesn’t focus on being the first woman, however. She sees how male-dominated the industry is as an opportunity.

“I’m happy that I’m a part of hopefully spinning that narrative,” Awino says. “The best I can do is be in that space and take away the narrative that this is a male-dominated space. We mention men too much instead of mentioning women more, so I’m really trying to focus on talking about the opportunities for women and less about the fact that this space has been run by men for a while.”

After years of DJing for the Dallas Mavericks, Awino is now taking on a new role as a game host for the team.

“I’ve always wanted to delve into personality work. I love people,” Awino says. “I think I’m great at what I do because of my love and affinity for connecting with people. Now I am able to put a face to a name and move around the arena and shake hands with people.”

Story by ALYSSA HIGH | Photography by HUNTER LACEY

PARENTAL SUPPORT is a key factor in children with intellectual or developmental disorders creating friendships that mirror friendships of typically developing children, according to a 2016 study in the Journal of Developmental Disabilities.

Friendship Circle of Dallas helps these parents by facilitating social activities for children and young adults with special needs. The nonprofit, an affiliate of Chabad of North Texas, came to Preston Hollow in 2016. There are over 60 chapters worldwide that partner with local Jewish Hasidic groups.

“I’m an ordained rabbi, and my wife has been involved with people who have disabilities her entire life,” Levi Dubrawsky, Friendship Circle of Dallas director, says. “A very important part of Judaism is loving your fellow man as yourself. We can’t as a society fulfill that commandment or responsibility if there is a group of people who are excluded from a lot of the programs and events that we do as a community as a whole.”

Friendship Circle of Dallas pairs trained teenage volunteers with children with special needs for at-home visits, winter and summer camps, holiday programs, outings for various special needs and more. Teens and young adults are exposed to social outings with sensory breaks, therapists and other accommodations.

“Every real friendship should be a circle. You shouldn’t have one person who’s benefiting more than the other and (it’s) something that’s a give and take — it’s an actual relationship,” Dubrawsky says. “You might be hanging out with someone who’s not verbal, but they’re extremely loving and kind and smiling. A true friendship.”

The Dubrawskys have grown Friendship Circle from a few kids to a community of friends, even adding employment to their programs. Last year, they started a sourdough pop-up set on raising funds to employ teens with special needs. The pop-up, Sour On Dallas, makes kosher bread for events around the metroplex, like Chanukah at the Park.

“In one of our programs, the first thing you see is there’s a lot of joy and happiness,” Dubrawsky says. “People are very appreciative and very humble to be where they are. We’re thankful for what God has given each and every one of us.”

Friendship Circle also hosts parent workshops, sibling circles and therapeutic, educational and recreational activities. Teens in 6th to 12th grade can sign up at friendshipdallas.org to participate in activities and volunteer, becoming part of the circle’s more than 500 service hours, 45 volunteers and 25 families served to date.