09/03/2026
Our WHY now has wings. 🦋
It is with a grieving heart that I share the passing of my youngest daughter, Makayla Patience Bluefort, who gained her butterfly wings on August 13, 2026, at the age of 23.
For those who have followed Momma I Don’t Want to Go to College, Inc., you already know Makayla.
She was the WHY.
The words that started this movement came directly from her:
“Momma, I don’t want to go to college.”
I listened.
On February 29, 2020, we created our first Expo because I wanted Makayla to know she had options. What started as a mother trying to help her daughter find her path became a movement that has helped other young people and families understand that there is more than one pathway to success.
Makayla lived that mission.
She worked as a lifeguard with Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation, pursued career-development opportunities through Road to Hire and Year Up, developed skills in technology, business/data analytics and project management, and ultimately built a career with Wells Fargo.
She was also "Kay B" the artist (on all major streaming platforms), a creator, and an entrepreneur building dreams beyond a job title.
Makayla loved our annual Expos because she knew they gave other young people something she once needed herself:
a voice, choices, and permission to choose a different path.
We are forever grateful to the organizations, employers, community partners, presenters, volunteers, families and supporters who helped create opportunities for Makayla and for the young people who came behind her.
Her life also reminds us that mental health struggles are not always visible.
In Makayla’s honor, I encourage you to become trained in Mental Health First Aid so that more of us know how to recognize signs and symptoms of a mental health challenge, start difficult conversations, and offer support.
Sometimes one caring person can make a difference.
And sometimes, one person is not enough.
We need communities that know how to recognize, respond and support.
Momma I Don’t Want to Go to College will continue.
But it will never be quite the same.
Before the Expos.
Before the movement.
Before the proclamations and partnerships.
There was Makayla.
And there always will be.
Makayla Bluefort | 2003–2026
Forever 23. Forever Kay B. Forever our Teal Butterfly. 🦋
Forever the WHY behind Momma I Don’t Want to Go to College.
