Inside the DIVAS mentoring program at Arabia Mountain High School
The DIVAS Mentoring Program is an initiative at Arabia Mountain High School in Stone Mountain. The goal is to bridge the gap for girls transitioning into womanhood.
D.I.V.A.S stands for "Demonstrating Individual Values Among Sisters" and serves as the foundation for a mission rooted in empowerment, life skills, and community.
Founded by Felecia Frayall, a veteran educator of 12 years, the program aims to provide young women with the tools they need to navigate the high-stakes transition from middle school to high school and beyond.
"It helps with self-confidence," Frayall explains. "We do etiquette skills, time, and money management. And we also do teen pregnancy prevention, which is something that we're focused on right now."
Beyond basic life skills, Frayall acts as the "captain" of the squad, curating weekly activities that offer a blueprint for higher education. To ensure her students have a clear view of the path ahead, she matches each girl with two college mentors one from Albany State University and another from Kennesaw State University. This "double impact" model ensures that the students have constant access to peer guidance from those currently navigating the college experience.
The program's holistic approach was recently on display during a session that combined artistic expression with business savvy. Guest speaker Khadijah Muse, owner of a local Henna Spa, visited the classroom to drop "gems of knowledge" regarding entrepreneurship.
After discussing the logistics of running a business, Muse provided a mini-training course on the art of henna application. For students like graduating senior Jiselle Jones, these sessions are about more than extracurricular.
"I like being exposed to different opportunities or different types of artistic things," Jones says. "You have a sense of community for one... it also gives you some experience in how to operate in the world after high school."
For Frayall, the drive to mentor isn't just professional, it's personal. The inspiration for DIVAS stemmed from a painful chapter in her own youth. After becoming a teenage mother, Frayall was abandoned by her own mentor.
Refusing to let that setback define her, Frayall broke cycles to become the first person in her family to graduate from both high school and college. Today, she uses that lived experience to ensure no girl in her program feels unsupported.
Jones notes that Frayall's presence is the cornerstone of the program's success. "Ms. Frayall is like a big person to me, she's someone I can look up to... she does a great job of being a mentor and being that person you can come to."
As the students leave the classroom, the henna on their hands may eventually fade, but Frayall hopes the confidence and "individual values" instilled in them will last a lifetime