WHEELING – A teacher, photographer, business owner and activist, Mikaya Green wears many hats as she strives to achieve a “friendlier city.”

Green, 25, is the founder of the Friendlier City Project, an LGBTQ+ group in Wheeling whose mission “is to create a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQ+ people and allies,” she explained.

In her day job, she teaches photography, design, and animation at Belmont Community College. She is also a co-owner of Better Together Moments, a photography and videography company. In

“I graduated from college in 2019 and instantly started Better Together Moments with two close friends,” she said. ” Around this time, I started working as a news director at WTRF 7 News. I worked there for three years until I heard of a teaching position that was open this past fall.

“I’ve always wanted to work in a school, so I jumped at the opportunity. I’ve been teaching for half a year and it has been the best decision I’ve ever made.”

Green has a girlfriend and two dogs. She said a typical work day for her starts by “waking up early to teach.”

“During my free time teaching I’m in grad school; answering emails and phone calls for Better Together Moments, and also trying to stay up to date on running the Friendlier City Project’s social media,” she said. “After work I spend time with my family, girlfriend, and pets. In the evenings, sometimes I have photoshoots and on weekends I have weddings that I work.

“Being a co-founder and running the Friendlier City Project while having two full time jobs is very stressful, but super rewarding… especially when we have events. Seeing the turn out and hearing how much a LGBTQ+ inclusive space means to people makes everything worth it.”

Green said her favorite motto is something once penned by writer and LBGTQ+ activist Audre Lorde: “Your silence will not protect you.”

“This spoke volumes to me… one day we are all going to die,” she explained. “My silences will not have protected me, because at the end of the day we all meet the same fate. If I remain silent on issues that matter to me, then I will never break through to others. I’ll never forget reading her essay and being a closeted queer person in the Ohio Valley.

“It is crazy because when I started doing work for the Friendlier City Project I was still closeted to most people in my life. This group and this quote helped me come out of the closet. Not living in silence lead me to meet my girlfriend. It changed my life and allowed me to be my true self and meet many LGBTQ+ people and allies in the Ohio Valley who share the same beliefs as me.”

Green is an Ohio Valley native.

“I actually moved away for college and lived in New York City,” she said. “That was a huge difference from Wheeling, W.Va. I always thought I wanted to live in a big city like New York City, but I missed the sense of community that the valley has. Wheeling has so much potential.

“So many young people move away, but I think showing young people that the Ohio Valley is more progressive than they think – that it’s truly a friendly city for all people, no matter their race, gender, sexual orientation, and religion – then I think more people would be willing to stay. ”

Green said small business and organizations like the Friendly City Project are the bright spots in the Ohio Valley.

“There are so many small businesses in the valley that are thriving and willing to help local organizations,” she said. “It’s so hard getting people out of the house nowadays, especially after a global pandemic. But I think the more people that get out of the house and immerse themselves in local businesses and organizations the more the Ohio Valley will thrive and grow to be a place people want to stay in.”

She suggests to young people that they never be afraid to open themselves up to change.

“It’s so easy to get stuck in a specific grind, but there’s always something else out there,” Green said. “I found out the minute I opened myself up to change… then my life started changing for the better in so many different ways.

“Change can be scary, but it is necessary sometimes. It’s scary to start a new job. Its scary to go to that event that you might not know anyone. It’s scary to meet new people. It’s scary to live in your truth. But by not facing your silences and facing your fears… you’ll never experience that new thing that might change your life for the better,” she said.