Listening is opening yourself to what someone else has to say with no interruptions. Actively listening means you are truly hearing and understanding what someone is saying to you without thinking of your response or your mind being somewhere else instead of being focused on what’s being said. It can be hard for some people to listen to others because they want to be heard more than they want to hear others. There is power in a voice when it’s being heard because words are powerful and it gives us an opportunity to talk about the facts and voice our opinions and feelings toward a subject. To listen to someone is something that can be taken for granted for people who listen to voices and sounds everyday, but what about those who can’t hear and are deaf? There are people that would do anything to listen to someone speak and not read lips or sign to someone to respond. When you think about that it makes you more grateful for all you can do, it makes you think how you can listen to others more and allow yourself to be open to hear something or someone other than yourself. When I actively listen to someone I give them my undivided attention. This was a skill I had to learn because I was one of those people that thought about my response before the person was even finished speaking. Fully hearing someone and everything they have to say while acknowledging what they’re saying while they are saying it by gesturing a head nod is simple so they know you’re listening or even engaging with them if it’s an open discussion. This is what listening means to me.

What society says about you doesn’t dictate who you are and who you will become. I learned at an early age that despite the mistakes and obstacles I’ve faced it’s up to me to look beyond them, learn from them, and prove myself to be more than my past. Society says that a 15 year old African American pregnant high school student will fail in life, drop out, and live off government assistance. This wasn’t acceptable in my eyes I had to prove to myself more than anyone else that I was capable, I was smart, and ambitious. Nothing could stop me from taking control of who I wanted to be and the person I would see in the mirror each day. This experience changed my life forever in how I carried myself as a young woman. I had to change the image of the perception people had of me to what I wanted them to see. I continued to stay active in school(dance and cheer)and I would take my daughter with me to practices, I also started working after school, and I strived to graduate early at age 16. It was God who gave me the great support of my family during this time. It took me a while to find my calling in life but it was all in God's timing. I’m now graduating college earlier than expected taking 20 credits each semester and taking classes during the summer to push myself ahead. The life experiences that I overcame was only by the grace of God. It is only his favor that pushed me this far. There were many times that I was down and only God could get me out of depression and continue to push me and he is the only reason I stand strong today as the person I am and I wouldn’t have it any other way. So all the glory goes to God ! Thank you for your consideration. Blessings, Tateyana Rucker

I am a mother and much of time is given to my children from appointments, cheer practices, therapies, and family outings. Although my life revolves around my children and school, it's so important to love my self and take time for me. Being someone who experienced depression not that long ago, I can recognize the signs before its too late. Sometimes, I just put my children's needs first, especially having a special needs child. If I go shopping for myself, I end purchasing something for my kids instead. This year I'm redeveloping myself and taking time for me. I want to enjoy life and treat myself to something, whether it be a meal, a spa day, shopping, or even a weekend trip. As a student I always have deadlines to meet. I'm always so focused on making sure I'm ahead of my class and being a great student that I can sometimes stress myself out. I plan to take time for myself once a month to do something I like and enjoy myself.

My name is Tateyana Rucker I’m 26 years old and a non-traditional college student. The odds have always been against me, I’m a woman, I’m black, and I had my daughter at 15. Being told at 15 that you wouldn’t make it through high school is discouraging. In those moments I remember feeling defeated how could I fail myself, let my mom down, and most of all God. There was a moment when I realized that this may not have been the plan for me, but God was going to use this opportunity for his good. What got me through this period in my life was the support of my family and my high school counselor. The words of the enemy would not stop me from accomplishing the goals God set before me. I graduated high school early at 16 by taking double the course load and still participating in extracurricular activities such as band/ color guard, step, and more. Life can sometimes be complicated and get in the way and this slowed me down, but since then, I now have a 3-year-old son who is autistic and non-verbal. This has literally stretched me to do more and be more for my son. I am my son’s biggest advocate, and anyone can vouch for that. As a Christian I am firm in my faith. God gave me a vision through a profit, and he has literally paved the way for me through this whole process. I’m a black mother with a vision bigger than me, I believe education is the foundation for our success. After finding out about my son’s diagnoses I had just left school from a different program and came to Virginia Union University to pursue a degree in Special Education. I am a true advocate for my child, and I want to be for other families in my community, to build awareness for others. It’s so rewarding to see what my son’s ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) school can do for him to help him learn and develop. ABA is a type of therapy that can improve social, communication, and learning skills through positive reinforcement. My goal is to better education in not only the black community but in the special needs community for children with autism. I want to take it a step further than just a school for children with autism, my minor is in Social Work which would also give me background experience dealing with families. I would want to incorporate a parent advocate program for the moms and dads out there who need to be educated on their children’s conditions and how they can help and advocate for their children in school once they’re out of the program. To build education in the community is real change for the black community to be a part of building up young black children and being apart of the change is my true goal. I’m not doing this for me I’m doing this for everyone else, it truly means everything to me, and my sacrifices, determination, and resilience will help me accomplish these goals for my family and all the other families in my community so when the odds are against them, they can persevere. There is no black owned ABA learning center in Richmond, Va. I believe it would help our community in so many ways while building connections with many people in this community and other communities, it will bring more families of children with special needs to this area and create a safe place to be a part of something bigger while spreading awareness.