Meet Reggie Jenkins

For more than 30 years, Reggie Jenkins has worked tirelessly to guide and educate African American youth within the community. In 2003, Reggie founded the UUNIK Academy in Knoxville, Tennessee. The academy provides mentorship, support, and educational programs designed to help youth achieve their highest goals and potential in life. UUNIK teaches valuable lessons including academic enrichment, leadership, African/African American history, self-esteem, entrepreneurship, plus college and ACT prep courses.

In 2006, Reggie (via UUNIK Academy) started its first annual "Calling All Males Youth Conference". The annual event unites African American male youth with positive and professional black men within the community. This conference ran from 2006 to 2015 and worked with over 500 male students, ages 5 to 17. 

In 2017, Reggie began an annual summer enrichment program called STEAMI Summer Institute. STEAMI  is a unique endeavor that addresses crucial issues within the African-American community, particularly the academic gaps among kindergarten through 5th-grade students. This annual summer program, which ran from the 1st week of June to the 3rd week of July,  is not just about education but also about empowerment. It was designed to engage and inspire African-American youth, ages 5 to 11, through innovative lessons spanning Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM). It also fosters their social and emotional development. Sessions were held from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

In 2021, Reggie opened a private academic institution called STEAMI Learning Institute.

STEAMI Learning Institute is a full-time academic institution dedicated to developing children of African descent into exceptional, academically challenged, driven, and disciplined human beings. Our vision is to produce leaders and problem solvers who will significantly impact the world; they will become well-developed from a holistic standpoint.  STEAMI stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics Innovation.

A school director, author, executive director and educational consultant, Reggie graduated from the University of Tennessee (Knoxville) where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a minor in Statistics. After graduation, Reggie discovered his true passion - educating and creating innovative curricula & training programs developed to help support, encourage, inspire, and motivate African American youth. Outside of UUNIK Academy's endeavors, Reggie has performed over 100 workshops with various groups in Tennessee, Georgia, and North Carolina.