Ayana (Daughtry) Edgar
Class of 1991
Posted on March 6, 2023
Ayana (Daughtry) Edgar (‘91) has had a non-traditional path after graduating from Heritage but has enjoyed such an incredible variety of experiences that have furthered her growth in Christ and Kingdom work. Ayana attended Oral Roberts University and earned a bachelor’s degree in organizational and interpersonal communication, followed by a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Middle Tennessee State University. After graduating from college, she moved to Connecticut with her husband and began working full-time in ministry at a large church in Hartford.
To be closer to family, Ayana and her husband moved to Tennessee after the birth of their first two children. This move initiated a series of different adventures for her. When her oldest child became ready for school, the Lord led Ayana to homeschool where she discovered her love for education, helping other families, and building supportive educational communities. Ayana became a writer, educator, and mentor, which afforded her the flexibility and freedom to fully pursue her passions, which includes being a homeschooling mom to five children (three of which have graduated high school). “I have developed strong bonds with my children and pursued my love for writing, creating curriculum, and mentoring people,” Ayana said.
Through attending the Fire Church in Murfreesboro, Ayana became friends with Wendy Hibbard, who was working on a book called, I am Not an Oops! Wendy knew about Ayana’s love for storytelling and asked her to contribute to the book. God worked through this experience to help Ayana learn to be more vulnerable and share more about her personal journey with God.
Today, Ayana and her husband are assistant pastors at and lead the prison ministry for Fire Church. Ayana is also working on a collaboration called the Nashville Literacy Lab, which will help parents prepare their K-3 students to read. She also tutors homeschool classes through Classical Conversations and is working on her Ed.S. in curriculum and instruction with a concentration in culture, content, and cognition from Middle Tennessee State University. As she nears the end of her homeschooling journey, Ayana expects to write more books on topics such as motherhood, education, and spiritual development. In fact, she is currently working on the release of a coloring book called Meditating on God's Love, which combines coloring pages, Bible verses, and questions to ponder that explore God’s love.
Ayana said that Heritage provided her with an excellent Christian education and that the positive emphasis on intellectual development encouraged her to aim high in her academic pursuits. She recalls that taking AP English ignited her love for reading great books and writing. She looks back fondly on her experience learning about different cultures while traveling to England and Scotland with her classmates through Educational Tours.
