In Life it is not where you go, It’s who you Travel with-Charles Shultz Every day I have heard some form of this quote from my parents, church family and friends that others are always watching you. My mantra, “Make My Parents Proud” and “Honor My Ancestors and Heritage”. These words kept me safe and secure in my home, school and community. I passed this knowledge on as I matured as a young adult into adulthood. Becoming a single parent at 21 years old, I grabbed hold of my supportive family and taught my daughter that at every failure there is a success. My family forced me not to allow the statistics, naysayers and past negative ancestral history to define who and what I would become. Learning to like where I live, who my true friends were and Loving Me totally from the inside and out, definitely planted a seed that I was Beautiful, Smart, Successful and Going places. Educating the young as a substitute teacher for the City of Hampton School System, volunteering as a mentor in the communities of Hampton and Newport News, VA, created a pathway for my journey to pass on my knowledge to the young. I enjoy surrounding myself with Quality Thinking People how else to learn from others that were positive, listened well, read often and made a change in an individual’s life and most importantly, mentored by someone who empowered me with RealTalk. My mentor’s encouraging words uplifted me while I attended Hampton University. I was always in the office of the Dept. Chairman of Psychology. Dr. Adolph Brown. He saw my potential and guided me through tough times to successful ones. Talk about tough, attending school part time, raising a daughter, working two full time jobs and two part time jobs, catching the bus until I could afford a car was challenging but I never gave up. I knew the difficulties would pay off. Now, I graduated from Hampton University Cum Laude with a BA in Psychology, currently an In-home Counselor in the Tidewater and Peninsula communities, mentoring parents and children of the 100 Black Men Virginia Peninsula, Hampton-Newport News Continental Societies, Help Them Now, and many more organizations that I focus on, strengthening one individual at a time. My daughter is now a graduate of North Caroline A& T State University and a wife and mother of a three year old. My journey will only continue through my faith and future.
