My Story

Who
Am I

Allana Jerry — AJ

My name is Allana Jerry. Most people call me AJ. I am a student, entrepreneur, and aspiring sports professional. I've never been someone who fits neatly into one box. I'm a native of Fort Worth, Texas, a soon-to-be graduate from the University of Houston, and a self-proclaimed "learn-it-all" with a growth mindset.

I grew up in Fort Worth asking "Why?" or "How?" about everything. I also grew up learning to navigate seemingly disconnected worlds. This curiosity and adaptability have never left me. It's why I'm graduating from the University of Houston with an interdisciplinary degree: a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Studies, concentrating in Spanish and Biology, with an Honors minor in Leadership Studies.

At 17 years old, I started my college journey at the Honors College at Duquesne University while in a 6-year Doctorate of Physical Therapy Program. I've always appreciated both the sciences and the humanities as a response to my inquisitive nature. I enjoyed the experience and the rigor, but I realized that path wasn't mine to stay on.

I transferred to UH to walk on the women's basketball team. Basketball has long been one of my first loves — I see it as a microcosm of life. It's a different version of a classroom where you learn lessons about leadership, resilience, and people that you can't learn anywhere else. Though the opportunity fell through, the pursuit taught me just how important it is to fall in love with processes more than the outcomes.

My life journey, from my youth to now, from studying Natural Sciences to Spanish to Leadership, has taught me to see patterns and make connections across disciplines that are easy to miss. Through basketball and my leadership studies minor at UH, I've learned what builds winning teams: culture, authentic relationships, and intentional standards and systems. I believe those same principles build successful businesses. I will be carrying these insights and the ability to operate at intersections with me as I grow as a founder in the streetwear and lifestyle industry and an aspiring sports professional.

Welcome to my world.

Mission

To use leadership to elevate cultures and outcomes at the intersection of business and sports.

Vision

To be a successful multi-passionate professional and leader.

Years In Review
My final year at UH. Four courses. Targeting Dean's List. Building MWOA while finishing a degree. Applying for GAs. Teaching 6th graders character education. None of this is accidental. This is the year I stopped waiting to be ready and started proving I already was.
What I'm Carrying Forward
Conviction doesn't wait for the perfect moment. You build in motion. You figure it out as you go.
The years that don't make it onto a resume. Medical leaves. Academic suspension. Loss. A walk-on attempt that ended before it began. And somehow — MWOA got founded. The classroom kept going. The conviction held.
What I'm Carrying Forward
Failure is data. Grief is a teacher. The only thing that matters is whether you get back up with more clarity than you went down with.
Arrived at UH with a plan — a six-year DPT program, a clear path, expectations laid out neatly. Then the plan changed. Then the world changed. Then I changed. Three years as a basketball manager. The slow rebuild of who I actually was.
What I'm Carrying Forward
The version of you that survives a collapsed plan is more valuable than the plan ever was.
You've read my story
Now See
The Work.
What I Do →