DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) — As Black History Month comes to a close, there are countless African-American people from North Alabama who’ve had a lasting impact on our communities and that includes Yvette Rice.

The Decatur native is using her story of resilience to inspire others. Rice became one of the first black women to graduate with an engineering degree from the University of Alabama.

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Before going to college, she made history as the first black cheerleader at Austin High School in Decatur. She didn’t realize what she had done at the time, but it was a chance to embrace something new.

“We learned culturally how to enjoy each other, and we had great experiences together because of those differences, we were a family of cheerleaders. It makes me so proud to know that I was the first one and God used me to break that barrier,” Rice told News 19.

Now, she’s a CEO.

She founded a company called Ladies Living In Victory and Excellence. Her goals are to provide women with leadership training and developmental skills guiding entrepreneurs in the right direction, something she felt a calling to do.

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“As I went on and started my business, I started noticing the gaps in the marketplace for women,” Rice said. “That’s what made me begin to realize I need to focus on inspiring women, encouraging women and my brand became helping them discover resilience while building that confidence to become their best selves.”

Rice has lineal ties to leadership in her community.

Her mother spent 20 years teaching in Decatur, her maternal grandmother helped start Decatur’s first black Girl Scout, and her great-aunt Carrie Matthews left a lasting impression on her city. In the late 1960s, Decatur named it first recreation center in Matthews’ honor.

“All of that inspired me to be the woman that I have become,” she said.

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Jasmine Bruno explained it was Rice’s advice that helped her begin her own company, but it’s Rice’s willingness to be there for others that has been most impactful.

“She’s awesome, she’s great like if you are undecided about something or unclear about something, I feel like I can always pick up the phone and call her no matter the time of the day,” Bruno said. “It does not have to be a scheduled appointment, she’s always going to be there.”

The Decatur native says her message can be applied to everyone across North Alabama and beyond.

“Don’t let anyone name who you’re supposed to be or what you’re supposed to be,” Rice said. “We all were created with a purpose, so become that person that you were created to be to change lives economic systems, and to change communities.”

Rice is a minister too. She and her husband Sam provide words of encouragement on Sundays at New Genesis Community Church in Tanner.

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