From Runway to Classroom: Justyn Burgest Graham Inspires Renaissance Middle School
ATLANTA — Every great classroom moment has someone behind it who said yes. At Renaissance Middle School, that person was Thelesia Barksdale, the AVID teacher who opened her 6th, 7th, and 8th grade classes to award-winning international model and Fashion Executive Justyn Burgest Graham. Barksdale has since retired, and the day she made possible now lives on GZTV as a lasting tribute to her work with students.
AVID, short for Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a college-readiness program that supports students who are often the first in their families to aim for higher education. Barksdale led the AVID Program at Renaissance Middle School, where Burgest-Graham served as guest speaker. Her students were prepared for a day that showed them what confidence, discipline, and creativity can look like in a career.
Before founding GZTV, he mentored more than one hundred students through student-led initiatives and produced sold-out fashion shows in Atlanta, and talent he supported later signed with agencies including Forward, Ursula Wiedmann, Click and NEXT. That record made him a natural fit for a classroom of young people curious about fashion and modeling.
The feature follows the full visit. Graham then shared his own story and led a history of fashion lesson, followed by a hands-on seminar where students learned to tie a tie, and a theater performance titled Show Day that brought the students through an interactive presentation of the experience of being a fashion model.
For Graham, the return to Renaissance was a chance to pour into the next generation, and it was Barksdale's classroom that made it possible. The feature was filmed by GZTV and sponsored by Hollyland Tech and Conzuri, with course material from WHYME Institute of Fashion and class support from AVID for College.
Watch the trailer for Thelesia Barksdale's classroom, Justyn Burgest Graham's return, and the students who walked the runway, now streaming exclusively on GZTV. The full feature is slated to release this upcoming Fall.
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GZTV is a global fashion streaming network dedicated to original productions, fashion films, documentaries, runway presentations, interviews, and digital storytelling. Available in more than 170 countries, the platform connects audiences with established and emerging voices across fashion, entertainment, and culture.
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