Before beginning primary school, children are praised to reaching developmental milestones such as walking, talking, and potty training. Between he ages of 7 and 12 years, children are at a crossroads: they are learning to feel either competent or inferior. They are in an environment with children of various skills, talents, strengths and weaknesses. They are forming and identity while comparing themselves to their peers. In addition, they are braiding their horizons through group activities, sports, after school programs and the like. One change to education I know would positively impact future generations is to help this cohort develop genuine confidence, unwavering self-esteem, the courage to realize their dreams, and to find joy in almost any situation. They in turn will have the tools to do the same for their own children and the lives they touch during their life journeys. My plan for making this happen has already begun. It happened for me. When I was a child, I would ask my father what I thought were yes or no questions. He would respond with unwanted, unsolicited dissertations, or so it seemed. Fast forward to my days as a hearing officer presiding over quasi-criminal cases of suspended special education students. After each hearing, I would engage in a guidance session. I would review the student’s academic records and, according to their parents, make accurate assessments as to why they were not performing to his or her potential. During my first guidance session, I remember thinking, “oh my goodness, I’ve become daddy!” This is when I realized that the seeds my father planted in me had spouted and flourished. At that point, I decided that every child who came before me would walk away with positive information about themselves and seeds planted in their minds that could germinate as they got older. After leaving law practice, I dusted off my child development degree and went back to school to study human rights with a subfield in education in emergencies. I learned that the trauma experienced by refugee children escaping armed conflict is similar to that which children living in violent urban communities experience. This revelation made me realize, in retrospect, that when I was a hearing officer some causes of behavior among suspended special education students who had appeared before me were predicated on violence they were experiencing, not necessarily in their homes, but in their neighborhoods. In addition, I have personal experience with how head trauma and chemo brain can negatively impact one’s ability to function academically and professionally. Since then, I have drawn on my experiences as an educator, attorney and a civic leader to develop program with a wholistic approach to helping children avoid mistakes that could jeopardize their happiness, sense of fulfillment and future success. I also created complementary child development programs on YouTube and ClubHouse which serves as free resources for viewers and listeners, respectively.  

I was five years-old when my father got my sisters and me out of bed to watch television. This was very unusual. My parents were strict about our bedtime. His order to get out of bed had me bewildered. Unbeknownst to him, my father was about to introduce me to the person I most admire from history. She was small and frail looking, but brave and feisty. Watching her gave me a sense of pride and the belief that, with perseverance, I could achieve anything. Besides my parents, she became my first role model. Remembering her story has gotten me through some of the most difficult times in my life. For example, it took me nearly 11 years to become a licensed attorney; it usually take three three year and about six months. I felt so humiliated when my low GPA resulted in having to spend and extra semester in law school. It took seven more years to finally earn my law license. Between law school and law practice, I sustained a head, neck and back injury, experienced unemployment, and took the bar exam three times with special accommodations for my vision. Ms. Tubman had a lot less going for her than I. She inspired me to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Remembering how she persevered lead me to a rewarding legal career in public service, and the options and advantages being a lawyer has afforded me. I am grateful to my father for that one and only bedtime exception. That night, I met Harriet Tubman. During struggles, I would think about this formerly enslaved woman who had successfully conducted the underground railroad and guided approximately 300 enslaved people from the American south to freedom. Close calls notwithstanding, she never got caught or lost a passenger.

The biggest problem facing the world right now is climate change. This disturbance has caused an imbalance in nature resulting internal displaced in certain developing countries, unusually warm winters in the northern hemisphere, and rising sea levels in coastal areas. Although time is of the essence, there is limited political will among nations to effectively work on this problem with the necessary speed for the most expedient mitigation. In 2006, former United States Vice President Al Gore, through his documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, sought to educate the public about global warming, the precursor to climate change. Transit, home and shopping are chief causes of carbon emissions, which generates what are know as carbon footprints, and profits for corporations. It has taken decades for nations to acknowledge climate changes as an issue; some are still in denial. Meanwhile, adults enjoy the convenience of lifestyles that generate carbon emissions such as: using private versus public transportation; gas for heating; relying on oil, coal and gas to generate electricity. Although switching to sustainable options such as solar powered energy could initially seem cost prohibitive, it would result in savings for the consumer in the long run and reduce carbon emissions, global warming and possibly lower temperates. There is, however, one way to work on addressing warmer temperatures to reverse behaviors negatively impacting changing weather patterns. This long-term strategy effectively raised the public’s awareness about recycling and inspired change in consumer behavior: the classroom. Teaching children about global warming, how it relates to climate change, and what they could do about it at home, would incentivize them to share this this information with their parents. Reminding their parents to choose environmentally friendly items when they shop, would make children change agents for reversing global warming. Small changes would make significant, positive, sustainable impact.

I had not been out of bed for a few days when it dawned on me, “This is what depressed people do.” I promptly walked my hips over to campus counseling. The intake counsellor read me well when, after referring me to the university hospital for long-term out patient care said, “you look disappointed that it will take time for you to get better.” She was right; I wanted to feel better yesterday. I had first year law exams coming up, and did not have the mental capacity to study. One of the first people I saw at the university hospital was a masters degree candidate to whom I had recently been introduced. Her words of encouragement and support for my recognizing that I needed help went a long way to help alleviate the sigma; I was feeling ashamed and embarrassed. My self love trumped those feelings, though, and I worked hard to restore my mental health. Today, I look back and am grateful to have had the inner strength to get out of bed and persevere. I still struggle with depression and the COVID-19 pandemic seems to have exacerbated it. I still keep putting one foot in front of the other because giving up is not an option. I need to use the culmination of my experiences as an educator from preschool to college, a lawyer in the family courts and in special education, and as a community leader in youth and education, to pursue a masters degree in the bio-behavioral sciences so that I may better serve and guide tomorrow’s leaders.

As a child of The Civil Rights Movement, I learned early the significance of supporting equality and diversity. It is what I grew up practicing throughout my community of El Barrio in New York City. Today, my support comes in a number of forms. As an attorney, I help administer Equity and Inclusion in the Judiciary Internship Program of the New York County Lawyers Association’s Committee on Racial and Ethnic Diversity. I once served as Committee co-chair. The internship program which “ provides a unique opportunity for law students of color to be introduced to the judicial system during a paid summer internship.” I’ve served as a mentor over the years to guide our students. I also host two shows on YouTube. One illustrates how the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) impacts our daily lives. Drafted under the leadership of Eleanor Roosevelt, and ratified by the UN General Assembly in 1948, the UDHR contains 30 Articles that address the various ways in which everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. The other, a child development show, provides a wholistic approach to giving 7-12 year olds the best odds for a future of happiness, success and fulfillment. As this cohort of children broaden their horizons through after school activities, new friendships, and more experiences outside the home, they are beginning to compare themselves to others. As a result, they are at a crossroads: learning to feel competent or inferior. The channel provides guidance for handling challenging situations commonly experienced during this time in a child’s development. Internationally, I support an orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa where I had done volunteer missionary work. Today, support Rehema Home financially, visit whenever I can, and sponsor a girl by seeing to her education. She dreams of becoming a psychologist.

There are two things that have always been constant in my life: education and creativity. My first discussion about education took place with my mother, a housewife, when I was in kindergarten. I was asking her when I would join my older sister in “the big school.” As the discussion progressed, I became curious about what would happen next. She told me about high school and college, and that the highest degree I could attain is be a PhD. My curiosity about chemistry and botany, she had homeschooled me before I got to first grade, led her to believe that I would become a scientist. My innate desire to always aim high led me to believe that I would earn a doctorate. It was around this time that my mother, a graduate of the High School of Fashion Industries (Fashion) and Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), both in New York City, taught me how to sew. By the time I was eight years old, I was using patterns and the 1940’s Signer sewing machine her father bought her as a high school graduation gift. I followed my mother’s footsteps to Fashion with a major in Fashion Design and Construction. By my senior year I was tired of teachers telling me how I should construct clothing; I passed on going to FIT. Since my summer jobs had to do with day care and summer camp, which I throughly enjoyed, I turned my interests in college to children. Tired of the NYC winters, I transferred from CUNY Hunter College to California State University and earned a degree in child development. I was thrilled to return to El Barrio in Manhattan where I grew up to the child care center of my very first summer job! The administration, however, forbade me from preparing children for their academic careers based on their readiness; I could only prepare them socially. Discouraged, I decided against pursuing an employer-sponsored masters degree in education. Instead, I pursued a law degree knowing it would afford me more options in life. I would sit in class and wonder how I could teach the concepts to all ages from pre-school to high school. After law school, I returned to teaching before becoming a government lawyer in the NYC Family Courts, the NYC Board of Education and one of the NYC housing agencies. My academic and professional backgrounds led me to successfully earn a credential in human rights with a focus on education in emergencies. I learned that the trauma experienced by refugee children escaping armed conflict is similar to that of children living in violent urban communities experience.   This revelation helped me realize, in retrospect, that when I was a hearing officer some causes of behavior among suspended special education students who had appeared before me were predicated on violence they experienced, not necessarily in their homes, but in their neighborhoods. Since then, I have drawn on my experiences as an educator, attorney and a civic leader to create The SICA Method, a uniquely tailored program to help children develop genuine self-confidence and unwavering self-esteem so that they will have the courage to pursue their dreams and find joy in almost any situation. My plans for graduate school are to enhance the service I offer using The SICA Method by focusing on socio-emotional health and how trauma impacts one’s ability to receive, process and retain new information.   As a masters degree candidate in the BioBehavioral Sciences, I want focus my on research on the impact of child-directed learning on neuroplasticity and socio-emotional health.

The impact I hope to leave on the world is by helping middle schoolers develop genuine confidence, unwavering self-esteem, the courage to realize their dreams, and to find joy in almost any situation. They in turn will have the tools to do the same for their own children and the lives they touch during their life journeys. My plan for making this happen has already begun. When I was a child, I would ask my father what I thought were yes or no questions. He would respond with unwanted, unsolicited dissertations, or so it seemed. Fast forward to my days as a hearing officer presiding over quasi-criminal cases of suspended special education students. After each hearing, I would engage in a guidance session. I would review the student’s academic records and, according to their parents, make accurate assessments as to why they were not performing to his or her potential. During my first guidance session, I remember thinking, “oh my goodness, I’ve become daddy!” This is when I realized that the seeds my father planted in me had spouted and flourished. At that point, I decided that every child who came before me would walk away with positive information about themselves and seeds planted in their minds that could germinate as they got older. Since then, I have drawn on my experiences as an educator, attorney and a civic leader to The SICA Method, a uniquely tailored program that gives children the tools they need to develop genuine self-confidence and unwavering self-esteem so that they will have the courage to pursue their dreams and find joy in almost any situation. My plans for graduate school are to focus on socio-emotional health and how trauma impacts one’s ability to learn in order to enhance my services.  

Persevering is hard. Persevering is also what is keeps me going whenever I face a challenge to a goal within my power to achieve, especially when it comes to academic and professional achievement. Today, I seeking to become a candidate for a masters in neuroscience and education because I understand the challenges one faces when schools and standardized tests do not accommodate learning styles. I remember the 13 years it took for me to become a licensed attorney; it usually take three three year and about six months. I felt so humiliated when my low GPA resulted in having to spend and extra semester in law school. It took nine more years to finally earn my law license. Between law school and law practice, I sustained a head, neck and back injury, experienced unemployment, and took the bar exam three times with special accommodations for my vision. Today, I look back and am grateful I never gave up; that was not an option. Throughout my struggle, I would think about the formerly enslaved woman, Harriet Tubman, who successfully conducted the underground railroad and guided approximately 300 enslaved people from the southern slaveholding American states to the North and freedom. She never got caught and never lost a passenger. Ms. Tubman had a lot less going for her than I. Her example inspired me to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Perseverance is what lead me to a rewarding legal career in public service, and the options and advantages being a lawyer has afforded me. Enhancing my understanding of neuroscience and education will give me to the tools help young people develop genuine confidence, unwavering self-esteem, the courage to realize their dreams, and to find joy in almost any situation.

When I was a little girl, there was one draw back to Halloween: I had to trick-or-treat for UNICEF with the Union Settlement Association (Union Settlement) in El Barrio. The activity required knocking on doors with small orange milk container-like paper banks to collect coins as we shouted, “Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF!” By the time I was able to trick-or-treat for myself most of my neighbors were out of candy. I used to imagine how nice it would have been to have bags full of candy like other children who enjoyed a head start. From there, it was the Girl Scouts (Troop 3277-J) where I earned service badges. That was a lot of fun! Unbeknownst to me at the time, I was learning lessons on leadership and what it means to give back to my community. After that, I began getting involved in political campaigns; the first being my dad’s. He was a community leader and took me to my first community board meeting. That experience left an indelible impression on me. It taught me the importance of civic involvement. As an adult, I became a member of my local community board (CB1-Manhattan) where I sat on the youth and education committee, and was elected by my peers to serve on the executive board as secretary. I served on my board for seven years until cancer stopped my in my tracks. My work as a civic leader led to an appointment to the board of my local community center, Manhattan Youth, where I still serve. I’ve also been blessed with the opportunity to serve as a volunteer missionary at an Rehema Home (Rehema) in Nairobi, Kenya. I have since served on its education task force to raise awareness and funds for the school, and I was able to count on my law school classmate to help purchase a water pump when we need one. When the American Bar Association held its first international meeting in Africa, I was honored to participate as a moderator of a human rights panel. I took time to reconnect with Rehema and met the girl who I now educate. I also spoke with a class of 5th graders at the Kibera School of Girls located in Nairobi’s largest slum. Professionally, I have served on a number of bar association committees to help the underserved. I administered a judicial internship program that placed students with state and federal judges. I also served on it board. I am a life fellow of the New York Bar Foundation and, thanks to having had to trick or treat for UNICEF, I took an interest in the United Nations and serve as co-chair of the UN Committee for my state bar association and serve as its UN delegate. I’ve also had the opportunity to propose, plan and moderate a human rights plenary for an international delegation of attorneys in Japan. The Union Settlement is where I went to summer camp, after-school, held my first summer job in high school, and my first professional job after college. Most importantly, I am grateful to Union Settlement for introducing community service. Embracing its value has taken me places I could not have imagined. Community Service is who I am.