By: My Media Buzz
What began as a quiet vision between husband and wife, Adrian and Selena Worrell, has now grown into a mission-driven movement focused on changing lives for generations to come.
In August 2025, the A&S Worrell Foundation, Inc. was officially established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with one clear purpose: to serve, uplift, and empower young people, particularly students from underserved communities who often lack access to life-changing opportunities.
But for Selena Worrell, this mission did not begin with the launch of a foundation. It began years earlier in classrooms, around dinner tables, inside church pews, and through moments of faith-filled perseverance that quietly shaped the woman she would become.
Long before she made history in Wayne County, North Carolina, Selena Worrell was simply a woman balancing faith, family, business, and service. She was a high school math teacher investing in students during the day while helping support her family’s growing business at night. She was a wife standing beside her husband, Adrian, as they built a life rooted in discipline, sacrifice, and perseverance. She was a mother raising three children while carrying the weight so many women understand, the pressure to show up for everyone, while still holding onto yourself.
And through every season, one thing remained constant: her faith. “There have been moments in business where I didn’t have all the answers,” Worrell says. “Moments where doors closed unexpectedly, or where fear and doubt could have easily taken over. In those moments, my faith reminded me to trust God’s timing instead of relying solely on my own understanding.”
That faith would eventually carry her into rooms no Black woman had entered before in her community. Yet even as her influence expanded, Worrell never lost sight of what leadership truly meant to her: service.
Raised and educated in Wayne County, Worrell learned early the importance of resilience, integrity, and compassion. Even after earning degrees in business and counseling, she never viewed success solely through the lens of titles or professional recognition. To her, success was always tied to impact, how many people were encouraged, empowered, and inspired because of your work.
Before transitioning fully into entrepreneurship, Worrell spent seven years teaching high school math. Those years left a lasting imprint on her heart and leadership style.
“Teaching taught me patience, empathy, and the importance of helping people believe in themselves,” she reflects. “Leadership is not about commanding attention. It’s about helping others discover what’s possible.”
That same philosophy would later become the foundation of both her business leadership and philanthropic work. As Vice President of Operations for Worrell Contracting Co., Worrell helped navigate the realities many family businesses face, including uncertainty, difficult decisions, financial pressure, and moments where endurance is tested. But rather than allowing those challenges to harden her, they deepened her dependence on God.
“Entrepreneurship can test your endurance,” she says. “Faith gives me perspective. It reminds me that setbacks are not failures; they are opportunities for growth, refinement, and dependence on God.”
Over time, she began to recognize that the company she and Adrian were building could become more than a business. It could become a vehicle for opportunity, hope, and community transformation.
That realization eventually inspired the launch of the A&S Worrell Foundation. The foundation focuses on supporting middle and high school students by providing access to opportunities many young people may never otherwise experience. Through immersive field trips, hands-on learning initiatives, financial literacy workshops, career exploration programs, and cultural exposure experiences, the organization is helping students broaden their perspectives and imagine larger possibilities for their futures.
“At A&S Worrell Foundation, we believe every child deserves access to knowledge, opportunity, and hope,” said Adrian Worrell, Co-Founder. “Our programs are designed to inspire students to dream bigger, explore the world around them, and build confidence in their future.”
The organization’s work is rooted in six core values: equity, empowerment, education, community, integrity, and compassion. Those principles guide every initiative developed and every student served.
For Selena Worrell, however, the work is deeply personal. She understands firsthand what it means for young people to simply need someone to believe in them. She knows what happens when students are exposed to environments, careers, and possibilities beyond what they see every day. And she understands the ripple effect that encouragement can have on an entire generation.
Even as her influence has grown, Worrell has remained grounded in humility and service. In 2023, she became the first Black woman ever to serve as Chairperson of the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, a historic milestone that represented progress for many throughout the community.
But Worrell viewed the moment not as personal prestige, but as responsibility. “There’s a responsibility that comes with being the first,” she says. “You realize others are watching, hoping, and believing they can do it too.”
Whether mentoring young professionals, volunteering in local schools, serving on nonprofit boards, supporting literacy initiatives, or helping strengthen economic development throughout Wayne County, Worrell’s leadership consistently reflects one thing: purpose over recognition. “My relationship with God influences how I treat people,” she says. “I believe every client, employee, and partnership should be handled with honesty, compassion, and respect.”
Today, Selena Worrell’s life includes awards, leadership appointments, and historic accomplishments. But those closest to her know her greatest fulfillment is not found in accolades. It is found in her family. It is found in the students she encourages. It is found in the young women watching her journey and realizing their own possibilities may be greater than they imagined.
And now, through the A&S Worrell Foundation, it is found in the countless young lives being equipped with the tools, confidence, and opportunities to build brighter futures. For Selena Worrell, leadership has never been about building a platform for herself. It has always been about building pathways for others.
