A Match That Changed Everything
In 1997, Austin Scee was matched with Mike Gandy through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Atlanta. Mike was growing up in the projects of Atlanta, but he had something that couldn't be taught — drive. Austin saw it immediately.
Mike's journey took him from the projects to Colgate University, then to Wall Street, and ultimately to Harvard Business School — following in Austin's footsteps fifteen years later. The mentorship relationship that began as a weekly commitment became a lifelong bond.
In 1999, Austin moved to Boston to attend HBS. During that time, Mike visited campus, walked the grounds, sat in the classrooms — and saw what was possible. A seed was planted that day that would take root years later.
In 2016, Austin and Mike reunited in Atlanta. Then, in January 2017, came the eureka moment. Austin took his son to a local karate camp and watched Sensei Trey sit on the mat and spend 30 minutes teaching core values — self-regulation, resilience, respect — before any physical instruction began. Austin realized: martial arts senseis are professional mentors who can reach 50+ kids at a time. PowerUP was born.
