Ashe County Young Professionals: Build, Connect, & Contribute

STORY BY HARLEY NEFE

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Three years later, communities are still seeing the lasting effects of that global event. However, since then, groups have been emerging to overcome the challenges.

One group in particular is Ashe County Young Professionals, which is sponsored by the Business and Community Development Committee of the Ashe County Chamber of Commerce. According to its description, ACYP is a program designed to create a meaningful network of dedicated, talented young professionals aged 21-45 in Ashe County.

“We realized that there were a lot of groups during Covid that were impacted, and we would argue that that 21-45 group probably suffered socially as much as anyone else,” explained Rebecca Greer, Board of Directors Vice Chair and Chair of the Business and Community Development Committee.

Greer further shared that the Business and Community Development Committee actively seeks new ways to support the business and local community in Ashe County. Some of its sponsored programs include Leadership Ashe, Connect Ashe, Small Business

Consulting Group, as well as Ashe County Young Professionals.

ACYP began around two years ago when an idea from an Ashe resident at the time, Harrison Little, was presented in an executive meeting to Kitty Honeycutt, who is the Executive Director of the Ashe County Chamber of Commerce.

“ACYP was created to help young people find likeminded connections to form worthwhile personal connections,” said Joshua Biggers, ACYP Committee Moderator. “Groups of people with the same objectives are stronger together.”

Harrison Little asked if there was a way to form the group through the Chamber, and the conversations were started.

“Our focus as Business and Community Development Chair is we want to provide resources and guidance to make sure we are adhering to what the Chamber’s mission is, but at the same time, we want ACYP to have autonomy,” Greer said.

The Ashe County Young Professionals' mission is to create a platform for members to build professional and personal relationships, become philanthropically and socially active, and contribute to the high quality of life in Ashe County.

“This is something that is greatly needed in Ashe County, and we have big hopes for this committee to finally come to fruition,” said Bailey Little, Committee Scribe. “ACYP’s former leaders all had the same hopes and desires for the group but had to step down due to other personal commitments, which we completely understand. We are happy to say that the committee is once again under new leadership, and there is a game plan for the group to have wings and take off.”

Bailey Little serves as a co-leader of ACYP along with Joshua Biggers. The both of them have been collaborating with Kitty Honeycutt and Rebecca Greer.

“Both Mrs. Honeycutt and Mrs. Greer are extremely supportive of young professionals in Ashe and want to see us succeed/develop our own ways to socialize and get involved,” Little said. “We believe that now, with the involvement of a steady number of committed members, ACYP will be able to be on the path to reaching its true potential and becoming a representation of the young professionals in Ashe County.”

Greer mentioned that her vision for the future of ACYP is increased membership.

“I think there’s a lot of people who don’t have an understanding of what a professional is,” Greer said. “I like the way Joshua talks about that because he says anyone can be a professional in whatever their position is, whether you’re running the drive-thru at McDonald’s or you’re working at the college. Anybody can be a professional where they are, so I would like to see a more diverse group in ACYP.”

Biggers further explained, “A young professional is someone who carries themselves with divinity and self-respect. It’s a person who puts 110% into their job regardless of what their job encompasses. Anyone can be a professional; it is all in your personal mindset. If you want to be a professional and carry yourself as a professional, then you are a professional. A professional is not a label that is given, but a descriptor that must be earned. It’s about seeing your goals, going after those goals, and letting no obstacles stand in your path.”

Laura Piselli, who was born and raised in Ashe County, works as a registered nurse and is also an ACYP member. She said she considers herself to be a young professional.

“I am 26, which I think is considered pretty young. However, I think youth is a state of mind,” Piselli said. “And I am a person with professional goals, interests, and passions, but I think being a professional is also a state of mind. Whether you have a career outside of your home, or you are a homesteader, whatever you are doing is worthwhile if it gives you a sense of purpose, and you are doing it with mindfulness and care.”

One of ACYP’s newest members, Jeff Carlton, has been living in Ashe County full-time since August of 2020. He underwrites commercial insurance for Jackson Sumner & Associates and shared that he identifies as a young professional as well.

“I consider myself to work in a professional field and to still be pretty young,” Carlton explained. “I just turned 30 this month, but when I look to my mentors, in my field and in my life, they are great examples of how hard it is to define ‘young.’ Sometimes there is a negative connotation. For instance, you may consider someone to be inexperienced, but I prefer a definition that includes a passion for life – in the sense that I’m striving to be a young professional for a long, long time.”

Carlton said he is passionate about culinary explorations and outdoor recreation, and the beauty of the area is what caught his attention in addition to the wonderful people that he has had the fortune of getting to know. He learned of ACYP through an invitation from another member.

“Since the community and the county have treated me so well, I feel like it’s my duty to be an active member in any way that I can,” Carlton said.

“I hope to connect with, learn from, and share unique experiences with other area professionals, be it through charitable opportunities, social events, or professional networking. I believe it to be very important to uphold community values and to work towards a more prosperous and positive future.”

Piselli found out about ACYP through Little, who has been her friend since middle school.

“I decided to join this group because I believe in the power of community. Community is a resource. It is something that can be so grounding for people’s day to day lives, therefore having an impact on their mental health and the way they may function in times of crisis,” Piselli said. “It can also create a ripple effect if we choose to use the power of community for the common good. ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ is such a wonderful saying that I think should also be applied to various stages of our life. It takes a village to make career choices. It takes a village to move to a new house. It takes a village to get through a break up. It takes a village to find my unique role in the big picture. It takes a village to get through life!”

The level of peace and the comforting

Since the community and the county have treated me so well, I feel like it’s my duty to be an active member in any way that I can. I hope to connect with, learn from, and share unique experiences with other area professionals, be it through charitable opportunities, social events, or professional networking. I believe it to be very important to uphold community values and to work towards a more prosperous and positive future.

- JEFF CARLTON

sense of knowing everyone in the small town are some of Piselli’s favorite aspects of Ashe County.

“Finding a sense of community in a county like this is not difficult,” Piselli explained. “You need only to be willing to put yourself out there. I love how friendly everyone is, and the culture of Appalachia, which is difficult to sum up, but I would say people here take pride in where they are from. Their family trades, southern hospitality, and being tough yet loving people. Passing people in the store, folks say hello and ask how your family is doing. Even as I am driving up my road to my house people will give the infamous ‘finger wave’ as they pass by. The beauty of the mountains is a close second favorite part of living here. There is no place more beautiful in the world to me than the meadows, mountains, streams, and hollers of the Blue Ridge. Hiking trails, kayaking the New River, or simply sitting in my backyard on a beautiful day is as close to paradise as I can think of in a place like this.”

Biggers, who has lived in Ashe County for nearly four years and appreciates experiencing all four seasons and the