Meet the Mentors

April has been in recovery since 2021. She wanted to become a mentor to show young people the different coping skills she’s learned in life. April is a full-time peer support specialist. She spends her free time exercising and planning goals. She believes her best quality is her perseverance. “I will not relent until my mission is complete”.

Hi, my name is Jordan, and I am an undergraduate at UNC-Chapel Hill dedicated to serving and uplifting others through strength-based and mindfulness intervention strategies to empower anyone to become the best version of themselves. I am inspired to connect with people, and I hope that my experiences with mental health challenges and intervention help support others! In my free time, you’ll see me spending time with friends, watching movies or shows, and doing yoga or some kind of art!

My name is Joshua Boyd. I am 34 years old and I am a proud single dad to a beautiful six year old named Maddox. I have been in Recovery from Substance Use, Alcoholism, and Justice Involvement since July 28th, 2022. My faith and my community give me strength. I am a certified Peer Support Specialist, and my desire to help others drives my work as a mentor.

Hi, I’m Linda, originally from Brooklyn NY, now residing in Chapel Hill, NC. My past and how I live now is a powerful example that people can change. I became a mentor to be a part of the solution.

Brandi Collins is a mother of three daughters, a Certified Peer Support Specialist, Forensic Peer Support Specialist, and Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor (CDAC) Intern. With over 20 years of lived experience navigating severe substance use disorder, untreated mental health challenges, incarceration, and the criminal justice system, Brandi brings a unique perspective to recovery advocacy and peer support. Her journey included multiple periods of incarceration, ultimately giving birth to one of her daughters while incarcerated in a North Carolina women’s prison.

After finding recovery more than four years ago, Brandi has dedicated her life to helping others impacted by addiction, mental health challenges, and reentry barriers. She currently works in the behavioral health field, advocating for individuals and families affected by substance use and mental health disorders. Brandi has shared her story and expertise through appearances on local news and radio programs and has been featured by the Washington Post and the American Academy of Pediatrics to help raise awareness, reduce stigma, and inspire hope for recovery and lasting change.

Tommy Green, hailing from Oxford, North Carolina, overcame an 11-year, 8-month sentence at 22 years old. Emerging from North Carolina’s toughest prisons, he transitioned from freelance security to Assistant Operations Manager of a $20 million company. Now, as Lead Community Health Worker for NC Formerly Incarcerated Transition Program and Program Manager for Orange County Health Department, Tommy is also an Adjunct UNC Family Medicine Instructor, co-owns Success While In Transition INC, and co-directs a nonprofit called Wounded Healers. His impactful work, is featured in the Washington Post, Health Affairs, and other local media, focusing on supporting post-incarceration transition and aiding substance abuse recovery.

Hi, my name is Saisha, and I live in Chapel Hill. I’ve done mental health-related work for a while now, but I’ve also been in recovery for over 2 years, and I hope to use that experience to help uplift young people through their own challenges! I’m especially passionate about mental health equity, and want to make sure that youth are able to access resources that are inclusive of who they are.

In my free time, you’ll usually find me going out on walks, listening to music/watching live music, and messing around with different instruments (especially the guitar)!