Moya Khabele

Fall/Winter 2002 : Past Issues

Alum Builds School on a Business Foundation
by Guillermo Garcia

Moya Khabele wasn’t so sure how soon, if ever, she’d make use of her BBA in international business. Her goal, even before graduating in 1999, was to be a Spanish teacher, her other major while at UT Austin.

What a difference a year has made.

Since founding The Learning Community School in the hall of a Westlake Hills Church, Khabele (whose name while a UT student was Jennifer Alack) has made ample use of her undergraduate business degree. She teaches part-time while also serving full-time as the administrative director, in charge of the books and all business decisions related to running the small private school of 11 middle and high school-aged children.

Utilizing some of her business school skills, Khabele wrote a business plan, drew up a budget, and secured the use of the church’s building. Khabele likens the experience to a start-up: “I am the accountant in charge of the payroll, the balance sheets, the inventory statements, as well as all the 501 (c) 3 statements, and the taxes. I’ve done all the marketing brochures. I run the (school) board meetings, which requires all the management skills I learned,” she says.

The school serves children who don’t conform to the learning style dictated in large public schools. “Kids who somehow don’t fit into the traditional public schooling system end up being hurt by being labeled as having learning disabilities,” Khabele says. “When in fact, they are very unique and expressive individuals who just don’t do well through the listening and rote memorization that is too often required of students in the public school.”

Khabele believes there is a great market demand in the Austin area for a school like hers. “Ours is a simple enough philosophy, we provide a place for the child to succeed, no matter what the child’s issues.”