Since graduating high school in 1999, I have volunteered in many different ways, mostly through school and church. I have helped in every area of development such as childcare, technical assistance, and putting together events. Volunteering my time to serve nonprofits that work with single mothers, at church events, and most of all volunteering my time with teen parents. I became a teen parent at fifteen years old and graduated from an alternative school in Oklahoma City. When I graduated I vowed to give back what the school gave to me; tools and knowledge to move into a better future. In 2009, knowing my desire to work with teen parents, volunteering started with classroom visits two to three times a week. During the first few visits, I sat at a table of about 15 teen moms which eventually grew to 25 teen moms per class. Most class times I was heavily engaged with the girls talking about real-life situations and finding practical solutions to overcome them. Hearing their stories and looking into their eyes reminded me of how difficult it was for me as a teen mother. It reminded me of the pain and struggle I went through just to finish high school. Being able to encourage them has been such a joy. It has also been a very painful experience as well. My heart keeps volunteering because I know it is part of my purpose. I began building strong relationships with the young moms and felt the more I could be there the better the relationship would grow. My presence in the school was becoming known. There would be times when I had come in and a counselor or teacher would pull me aside to let me know one of my girls had gotten off track and needed some coaching to get back on the right path. The school staff saw that the girls were opening up to me and would listen to my advice. I have found myself diffusing fights and being called upon to mediate arguments among teen moms. I've gone to extra lengths to pick them up to make sure they made it to school. I've taken time to plan and prepare extracurricular activities for the teachers, staff, and teen moms. September 2024 begins the 16th year that I have been volunteering in the public school system. My only responsibility to any school is to keep my word. If I tell the girls and staff I would be there, then I make sure to show up. I did not really know what I was doing when I started but I just learned in the process of volunteering. I gave from my own life experience which was very traumatic and was used to overworking myself. Through volunteering, I have learned how to give myself a break. I eventually learned that I wanted to make sure all the youth I had the blessing of mentoring left with tools they could use to help them overcome some of the obstacles they face in life. Becoming a volunteer with teen parents has given me the passion to encourage youth and help them cultivate their budding character. I have been able to do this by teaching them how to make healthy decisions in life regarding relationships, abstinence, and parenting. Being a volunteer has helped me become courageous and step out on faith to follow my own dreams. It has helped me to be able to encourage people to follow their dreams. This is why I am still an active volunteer in my community today.

After getting suspended from high school my sophomore year, I found out I was pregnant. I had no clue what to do and I knew nothing about my body and how to move forward. So my life was drastically changed in 1997 when I gave birth to my son at the age of 15. Having relocated from Kansas City, MO where my childhood struggles included a life filled with poverty, foster care, drugs, alcohol, sexual, verbal, mental, and physical abuse, I was ready to break the vicious cycle in my family. Thankfully, the then Emerson Alternative School had an Outreach Program for pregnant girls and teen mothers. The Emerson Teen Parent Program constantly told the teens to “Be Something, Do Something” and reinforced self-esteem, confidence, goal setting & achievement. The program made learning fun and inspirational. It showed me possibilities. The teachers, mentors, and volunteers who worked at Emerson were like a family to me. I always vowed that I would return and give back because of the impact they made on my life. They saw me and connected with me. They helped me understand there’s more to life than the life I had experienced. Because of that, I graduated from Emerson in 1999 at 17 years old. I was the only person in generations to receive a high school diploma. From that point, I always wanted to further my education. I told them, “I have to come back because of what you’ve shown me and the value it has on my life.” I wanted to give back to the community and show that what I learned was impactful and so needed for others who were just like me. That was not an easy task because I still lived in poverty and was trying to figure out how to take care of my son. At that time, the military was my only option even though I graduated seventh in my class and was accepted into Oklahoma City University. I was scared of the possibility of going to college. So instead I went to the military and it played its part but didn’t last long. Unfortunately, it did lead to even more PTSD. However, it did help me realize that I needed to continue moving forward and give back in some kind of way. I learned there will always be something happening in my life so I have to keep going. In 2009, I began volunteering in schools, which led me to start the nonprofit Lilies & Reeds Society in 2012 to support at-risk youth & teen parents. With that came the development of a life skills program that was integrated into the public school system. By 2016, this initiative increased graduation rates by seventy percent at Metro Career Academy and made the program an elective on student transcripts. This success earned me several state awards, recognition in articles and books, and the Mentor of the Year award at the state capital. In conclusion, I am the first person in my family to graduate with a high school diploma, an associate's degree, a bachelor's degree, and a master's degree. I will be the first person in my family to have a doctorate. This doctorate will help me continue to be a role model in our community for minorities. This scholarship is a catalyst for meaningful and lasting change in my life. The funds will help me have less stress about taking the needed time to work through my doctorate. It will empower me to turn ideas into actions and foster an environment where positive impact can thrive.

After getting suspended from high school in my sophomore year, I found out I was pregnant. I had no clue what to do and I knew nothing about how to move forward. So my life was drastically changed in 1997 when I gave birth to my son at the age of 15. Having relocated from Kansas City, MO where my childhood with my single mother included a life filled with poverty, foster care, drugs, alcohol, sexual, verbal, mental, and physical abuse, I was ready to break the vicious cycle in my family. Thankfully, the then Emerson Alternative School had an Outreach Program for pregnant girls and teen mothers. The Program constantly told the teens to “Be Something, Do Something” and reinforced self-esteem, confidence, goal setting & achievement. The program made learning fun and inspirational. It showed me possibilities. The teachers, mentors, and volunteers who worked at Emerson were like a family to me. I always vowed that I would return and give back because of the impact they made on my life. They saw me and connected with me. They helped me understand there’s more to life than the traumatic life with my single mother I had experienced. Because of that, I pushed through and graduated at 17 years old. I was the only person in generations to receive a high school diploma. No one should have to witness the things I witnessed as a child or young adult. Living with a single mother who was on drugs and doing the worst things a mother could was very traumatic. I knew growing up I had to be different if I had children and protect them and make sure they had a better life than I did. I was determined to do something different with my life and not fall into the same cycle my family was in. So, in 2009, I began volunteering in schools, which led me to start the nonprofit Lilies & Reeds Society in 2012 to support at-risk youth & teen parents. With that came the development of a life skills program that was integrated into the public school system. By 2016, this initiative increased graduation rates by seventy percent at Metro Career Academy and made the program an elective on student transcripts. This success earned me several state awards, recognition in articles and books, and the Mentor of the Year award at the state capital. Today I no longer work with at-risk youth, but instead with single mothers. I have turned the curriculum I built for Lilies & Reeds Society into a program that helps single mothers overcome their obstacles. So many of them remind me of the struggles that my mother endured until the day she died. Currently, I am working on implementing aspects of the program into a transitional housing program that I am building. I am hoping that I can continue to encourage and equip single mothers with the tools they need. In conclusion, I am the first person in my family to graduate with a high school diploma, an associate's degree, a bachelor's degree, and a master's degree. I will be the first person in my family to have a doctorate. This doctorate will help me continue to be a role model in our community for minorities. This scholarship catalyzes meaningful and lasting change in my life and other's lives. The funds will help me have less stress about taking the needed time to work through my doctorate. It will empower me to turn ideas into actions and foster an environment where positive impact can thrive.

After getting suspended from high school my sophomore year, I found out I was pregnant. I had no clue what to do and I knew nothing about my body and how to move forward. So my life was drastically changed in 1997 when I gave birth to my son at the age of 15. Having relocated from Kansas City, MO where my childhood struggles included a life filled with poverty, foster care, drugs, alcohol, sexual, verbal, mental, and physical abuse, I was ready to break the vicious cycle in my family. Thankfully, the then Emerson Alternative School had an Outreach Program for pregnant girls and teen mothers. The Emerson Teen Parent Program constantly told the teens to “Be Something, Do Something” and reinforced self-esteem, confidence, goal setting & achievement. The program made learning fun and inspirational. It showed me possibilities. The teachers, mentors, and volunteers who worked at Emerson were like a family to me. I always vowed that I would return and give back because of the impact they made on my life. They saw me and connected with me. They helped me understand there’s more to life than the life I had experienced. Because of that, I graduated from Emerson in 1999 at 17 years old. I was the only person in generations to receive a high school diploma. From that point, I always wanted to further my education. I told them, “I have to come back because of what you’ve shown me and the value it has on my life.” I wanted to give back to the community and show that what I learned was impactful and so needed for others who were just like me. That was not an easy task because I still lived in poverty and was trying to figure out how to take care of my son. At that time, the military was my only option even though I graduated seventh in my class and was accepted into Oklahoma City University. I was scared of the possibility of going to college. So instead I went to the military and it played its part but didn’t last long. Unfortunately, it did lead to even more PTSD. However, it did help me realize that I needed to continue moving forward and give back in some kind of way. I learned there will always be something happening in my life so I have to keep going. In 2009, I began volunteering in schools, which led me to start the nonprofit Lilies & Reeds Society in 2012 to support at-risk youth & teen parents. With that came the development of a life skills program that was integrated into the public school system. By 2016, this initiative increased graduation rates by seventy percent at Metro Career Academy and made the program an elective on student transcripts. This success earned me several state awards, recognition in articles and books, and the Mentor of the Year award at the state capital. In conclusion, I am the first person in my family to graduate with a high school diploma, an associate's degree, a bachelor's degree, and a master's degree. I will be the first person in my family to have a doctorate. This doctorate will help me continue to be a role model in our community for minorities. The funds will help me have less stress about taking the needed time to work through my doctorate. This scholarship is a catalyst for meaningful and lasting change in my life. It will empower me to turn ideas into actions and foster an environment where positive impact can thrive.