Spider Spotlight
A Q&A with Avrell Young
Painter, University Facilities

BY LIA TREMBLAY
Writer/Editor, University Communications

Avrell Young is inspired by UR students’ passion for learning.

How long have you worked at UR?

I’ve been here for 10 years. I had been working for the City of Richmond for eight years before that, but I needed a change. The University provided that change, and it’s been very positive for me.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I can’t help but feel like I’m a part of something special here. To look around and see the architecture and the landscape, and to see the students and their passion for learning, it’s inspiring.

Tell me about your involvement with Build It and Common Ground.

I’ve been participating in Build It ever since it began here. I had been involved with some similar projects while working for the city, such as the renovation of Pine Camp Recre-ation Center. My work with Build It led to an interest in diversity on campus, and I’ve been working with Common Ground on that. I’m on the communication and engagement subcommittee. My hope is to see UR become a more inclusive and diverse community.

What motivates you?

I have a strong interest in faith, family and community that was instilled in me as a child. My grandfather was the son of a slave, but he and my grandmother struggled and saved to put 14 children through college. There’s actually an article about them in the April 1952 issue of Reader’s Digest called “Sixteen Sticks in a Bundle.” The following year, my grandmother was the first Negro named Mother of the Year in Virginia.

I can never repay what friends and family have given me. The best I can do is try to pass it on.

Where are you from originally?

I was born and raised in Washington, D.C., about three blocks from the Maryland border and 15 minutes from University of Maryland. I attended Bowie State for two years and then went to work for the Federal Aviation Administration as a procurement clerk. I then moved to Pittsburgh and learned trades, including painting. It was 1987 when I moved to Richmond.

Tell me about your family.

My wife, Cassaundra, and I celebrated our 13th anniversary on Feb. 25. We have a 12-year-old daughter named Kirsten. My older daughter, Jasmine, is in her senior year at Mars Hill College in North Carolina, thanks to UR’s tuition exchange program. We also have two poodles, Pierre and Bentley, and a shih-tzu named Pikachu.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I’m a big fan of classic rock; that’s something I share with my younger daughter. Around this time of year, I love to cheer on the Spiders and follow college basketball through March Madness. I also have a garden at home, where I grow tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, corn...all kinds of veggies.