My journey as a mother, a dedicated city of Chicago worker, library employee, youth mentor, civic engagement enthusiast, change maker, and public servant, at the young age of 26 exemplifies remarkable individual initiative, sound judgment, and exceptional maturity.
Balancing the responsibilities of motherhood while excelling in various professional roles demonstrates my tenacity and ability to prioritize effectively. My commitment and passion to serving the city of Chicago highlights how strong my work ethic and passion for making a positive impact in my community is. Through the involvement at the library and as a youth mentor, I have displayed making a difference in guiding and nurturing young minds, providing them with invaluable support. My personal active engagement in civic initiatives reflects my initiative and drive to effect meaningful change, tackling societal challenges head-on. As a young change maker, I have showcased my ability to make thoughtful decisions, take calculated risks, and demonstrate leadership qualities in public service. My unique journey exemplifies these exceptional qualities that set me apart as a remarkable individual.
In the diverse roles working for the city of Chicago, pursuing my small consulting business ambitions, and dedicating myself to serving underserved communities, I see the effective impact. As a city worker, I adeptly leveraged software systems to streamline operations, and enhance efficiency in my work. I have led numerous media-based educational programming for my community, teaching skills for multimedia storytelling, such as acting, video production, and podcasting, that empowers my students to use those skills to share their own stories. In my consulting business, I employed various business tools to manage projects, explore research databases for user experiences, analyze market trends, and develop strategic plans for aspiring entrepreneurs.
The ambition I possess to become a Black-owned business mentor demonstrates my intention to utilize technology, platforms and resources to provide guidance and support to underserved communities in Chicago, empowering them to succeed in entrepreneurship.
Furthermore, my personal experience in foster care and connection with mentors and supportive adults have inspired me to pay it forward. I strive to encourage and empower young people in foster care to reach their full potential. I was recently nominated in 2022 The FosterClub Outstanding Young Leader Award giving recognition that celebrates the brilliance & resilience of young people who have experienced foster care. I was honored to receive this award which uplifts young people who make a difference in their communities & counters negative beliefs about young people in and from foster care. I am motivated to pass on my love and dedication for education and lead by example every day. I strive to pay it forward and encourage other young people who experience foster care to reach their full potential.
My commitment to continuous learning and personal growth stands out as a defining characteristic. I aim to establish my own nonprofit organization that promotes creativity and entrepreneurship among underprivileged communities and foster youth, empowering individuals to unlock their potential and providing the necessary connections and resources. As an entrepreneur, the possibilities are endless, and I have the freedom to explore diverse ventures that combine my passion for creativity with my eccentric drive for business success.
Additionally, my experience at Nerdy Media as a Project Manager showcases my proficiency in our nonprofit organization's mission of empowering Chicago's youth with the necessary skills to create and seize opportunities. My passion for empowering underserved communities, positions me as a valuable mentor and advocate for entrepreneurship and youth empowerment.
Lastly, my strong drive and resilience have allowed me to overcome challenges and seize opportunities, highlighting my determination and unwavering commitment to achieving my goals.
My name is Latriece Anderson, and I am a first year graduate student at Walden University. After 20 years of doubting myself, and feeling, as if I would not be able to endure, I made a decision to pursue my lifelong dream of becoming a clinical psychologist. Presently, I work as a foster care, social work supervisor with Lutheran services in Carolinas. Working in the field of foster care should be extremely difficult for social workers are positions of witnessing children, being abused, sexually, verbally, and physically and so many children are blatantly neglected on a regular basis. I am a mother of five and I have two beautiful grandchildren. My second daughter was born with cerebral palsy. I was a teen mother I wish I gave birth to my first child, at the age of 17. I wasn't even finished high school whenever I became a mom. When I gave birth to my second daughter, I was 19 years old. As a teen mom of two children, one with severe special-needs life and itself, we came extremely difficult for me. When my daughter was one years old, she began to have grand mal seizures. We later learned that she is also deaf and nonverbal. I remember thinking to myself how am 1, a mother of two who is barely educated, going to take care of children, who God blessed me with. I felt the need to be protected, and I wanted to feel safe.
Growing up as a child, my father was terribly addicted to drugs and alcohol. As a young girl, l've seen so many things, and I always felt so exposed and unprotected. I met who became my husband at the age of 20. He was nine years older than me, and I think because of our age difference, I gravitated to him, and for the first time in my life, I finally felt safe. We were married, after dating less than a year, and I gave birth to three more beautiful children. After being married, for two years, that's when the abuse started. It started with the verbal abuse and gradually expended to physical abuse. I hid the black eyes and swollen faces from my family and friends. I felt as though I had nowhere to go. I was a woman with five children, one who had severe special-needs, and no money or resources. I was able to make a plan, and find a way to safely remove myself and my children out of that terrible situation. Today, I am an advocate for women who continue to suffer in silence. I am an advocate for children, who are neglected or abused as I was. Today I am a strong, educated single mother, who has a large, beautiful family, all for me to love. I have overcome so many obstacles in my life, and I am determined, and will not start until I obtain the masters degree that I have always dreamed of. I am a success. I am the true being of what overcoming adversities looks like. I am strong, I am confident and I am healed.
