When one of her students jumped nine points on the ACT after just six weeks of tutoring, Lasonya Anderson realized she had been given a gift.

That early breakthrough planted the seeds of ProACT, the tutoring business she launched in 2017 to help students across Mississippi raise test scores, earn scholarships, and open doors to college opportunities.

Anderson, a teacher at West Jones High School in Laurel with multiple degrees in education and paralegal studies, said her business was less about entrepreneurship and more about answering a calling.

“God gave me strategies that worked for students who had been struggling for years,” she said. “Seeing them graduate, earn scholarships, and come back later to say thank you — that’s the joy that keeps me going.”

ProACT has grown steadily from a side effort into a structured program. The learning center, based in Laurel — a community in Jones County in southeast Mississippi — now offers ACT prep, GED tutoring, and an after-school program for K–6 students. Anderson contracts with 10 part-time tutors and has partnered with schools in Laurel, Perry County, and Marion County. Students can work with ProACT in small groups, one-on-one, or even online — an option that became especially important in recent years.

To take the next step, Anderson turned to the Lending Team at Communities Unlimited (CU). She was referred by Flint Brent, a counselor with the Mississippi Small Business Development Center, and worked with CU Economic Development Loan Officer Chris Tillman to secure her first business loan. The small-dollar loan will cover new Chromebooks, software, and marketing to expand her reach.

“Mr. Chris has been very patient, kind, always communicating with me,” Anderson said. “I’m very thankful for meeting him.”

ProACT has always been about more than academics. Anderson recalls students who went from struggling with single-digit ACT scores to earning the results needed for college admission and athletic scholarships.

“It’s not really about the money,” Anderson said. “For me, it’s about just getting people to the next level.”

With new equipment and renewed momentum, Anderson hopes to expand ProACT into additional communities across Mississippi, with even more help from CU in the future.