By Jake Naylor

In the heart of North Las Vegas, a bold promise is taking root: that every child deserves access to excellence, not just in academics, but in creativity, identity, and possibility.

At the center of that promise stands Shambrion Treadwell, M.Ed., Founder and Executive Director of Do & Be Arts Academy of Excellence, a free, arts-integrated K–8 school built on the belief that students can truly “DO anything and BE anything.”

But to understand DBAE, you have to begin in Cleveland.

A Girl From Cleveland

“I’m a girl from Cleveland, from one of the poorest, roughest neighborhoods,” Treadwell says. “And the arts were my outlet and my survival.”

Her mother, her greatest inspiration, loved the arts but never had access to them. So she made sure her children did, even if it meant using her last dollars, leaning on credit cards, or being late on bills. “She didn’t have an outlet,” Treadwell reflects, “but she wanted one for my brother and me.”

From an early age, excellence was non-negotiable. Her mother instilled in her the expectation to give her full effort and never give up. She prayed that her daughter would be surrounded by caring adults and mentors who would guide and love her deeply, and that prayer was answered.

Treadwell credits a late mentor who helped shape her confidence and direction, and her theatre teacher, Dr. Scott Miller, who saw her potential and challenged her not just as a performer, but as a person. “He helped shape me into not only a better performer, but a better human,” she says.

Those experiences didn’t just change her life; they shaped her calling.

The Arts Unlock Learning

For Treadwell, arts-integrated education is not a theory. It’s lived truth.
“I saw it every time a student who struggled on paper came alive through performance, visual art, music, or storytelling,” she explains. “And then carried that confidence back into reading, writing, and math. That’s when I knew the arts don’t distract from learning, they unlock it.”

She pauses before adding something deeply personal: “Honestly, I’m the living example of that transformative power. I am what the visual and performing arts can do.”

The arts gave her voice. They gave her confidence. They helped build her future. And now, she’s determined to ensure that same transformation is available to students in North Las Vegas regardless of income.

Building What She Once Needed

DBAE is the kind of school Treadwell wishes every child had access to; the kind that helped her in Cleveland. She founded it so students in ZIP codes 89030, 89031, 89032, and 89108 could experience the same access, belief, and opportunity.

“Because the need is real,” she says. “And the brilliance is real.”

The decision to offer free, high-quality arts-integrated education was intentional. Too often, arts programs are the first to be cut or are only available to families who can afford them.

“Access shouldn’t depend on income,” Treadwell says firmly. “The kids who need it most are often the ones denied it.”

When DBAE welcomed its inaugural class in Fall 2025, the moment was emotional. “Gratitude and responsibility,” she recalls. “Proud, overwhelmed, emotional, because it wasn’t just a first day. It was a promise being fulfilled. Delay has not meant denial for DBAE.”

More Than Test Prep

At DBAE, the model is holistic: rigorous academics integrated with visual and performing arts, social-emotional learning (SEL), and project-based learning (PBL).

“Kids need more than test prep,” Treadwell explains. “They need identity, confidence, and real-world skills. Academics, arts, SEL, and PBL together create students who can think, lead, and build.”

Arts integration enhances comprehension, engagement, and memory. It gives students multiple pathways to demonstrate mastery, especially when traditional methods haven’t worked for them.

Social-emotional learning ensures students feel safe, regulated, and capable. “Students can’t learn if they don’t feel safe,” she says. “SEL builds resilience, decision-making, and relationships. That’s success in school and life.”

Project-based learning invites students to tackle real issues in their community: equity, safety, mental health, representation, and opportunity. Treadwell wants her students to see themselves as solution-makers and future-builders.

Her core values: Creativity, Integrity, Community, Resilience, and Discipline, show up daily. In classrooms. In restorative circles. In rehearsals. In quiet moments of trying again.

Leading While Being Counted Out

Building a school is relentless: vision, systems, staffing, funding, culture, all at once.

And as a Black woman founder, Treadwell is acutely aware of the scrutiny. “Being underestimated and expected to prove myself twice,” she says. “Statistically, I’m not ‘supposed’ to be here. I’m not ‘supposed’ to have the skill, the ability, or even the freedom to dream this big.”

But she refuses to shrink.

“I lead with urgency and heart because I know what it feels like to be counted out,” she says. “Black and brown kids deserve schools that develop them, not punish them into silence.”
Vision without systems, she notes, is just a dream. So she builds structures that protect the mission while managing the daily realities of running a school.

The most rewarding part? “Watching students start to believe in themselves. Seeing families feel respected and hopeful again about what school can be.”

The most challenging? “Building something new while being judged like it should already be perfect, and doing it while protecting kids, culture, and the mission.”

Inclusion in Action

As Las Vegas PRIDE Magazine celebrates women and diverse leadership, Treadwell’s commitment to belonging is clear.

At DBAE, inclusion is not performative; it is structured.

“We build belonging on purpose,” she explains. Through restorative practices, clear expectations, and a culture of respect, every child deserves emotional, social, and academic safety.

Representation matters deeply. “Kids need to see themselves in possibility,” she says. “Representation tells students: you belong here, and your identity is not a barrier to brilliance.”
In her words, inclusive leadership is consistent policies, practices, and daily decisions that affirm the dignity of every student.

A 25-Year Vision

When asked what success looks like, Treadwell answers in phases.

Year one: a strong culture, safety, literacy growth, and students feeling seen.

Year five: proven outcomes and a replicable model.

Year 25: graduates leading businesses, creating art, changing systems, and coming back to uplift the next generation.

Picture a DBAE graduate at age 30, she says: creative, confident, disciplined, compassionate. A problem-solver who believes they can build what they imagine.

The legacy she hopes to leave is simple and profound: “A school that changed what was possible for families who’ve been underserved, a legacy of access, excellence, and justice through education.”

“You Belong Here.”

What keeps her going when the weight feels overwhelming?

“The students are my why,” she says without hesitation. “I had caring adults and caring teachers who didn’t give up on me, so I refuse to give up on them.”

To every child who walks through DBAE’s doors, her message is unwavering:

“You belong here. You are powerful. You can DO anything and BE anything — and we’re going to help you prove it.”

For Shambrion Treadwell, creating the future you envision is not a slogan. It’s action.

“It means I’m building what I didn’t see growing up,” she says. “I’m turning sacrifice into opportunity, creating a school that develops great humans, not just graduates.”

And in North Las Vegas, that future has already begun.

This article was originally published in the 2026 Women & LGBTQIA+ Visibility Issue of Las Vegas PRIDE Magazine, and can be read in its original format here.