RESILIENCY I credit my parents who instilled "Resiliency" in me. To serve others and to help them reach their goals, requires the ability to stand tall when challenges surface. I learned intangible skills from both leaders, as my mother worked at the Sara Lee textile plant and my father was the supervisor for city custodians. Two words stick out in my life when I think of them and they are "Faith and Grit". Both managed to help me view perspectives from their careers. My mom taught me attention to detail as a textile worker, and my dad taught me that every job is important. He reminded me that he was not just a janitor, but he was the person responsible to keep people healthy at work! The result of my upbringing is what I will bring to district 71, which is "Work Ethic." I know what it means and to complete my projects and the accountability that means to those who I will serve.

In 2017, I met a woman who changed my life, Mrs. Jackie Teal. She was the president for the Morningside Neighborhood association. What I noticed from the outside looking in, was that the community was not sharing nor supporting. Community participation is needed to help schools and community centers thrive to support our youth. She said "that many people join and then leave, which creates leadership gaps." Well, that is where my passion and work ethic kicked in. Leveraging my skill sets working in Labs/autopsy at Baptist Hospital, and LabCorp became intangible. Examining organizations requires the same attention to detail and critical thinking as working in a specialized field. I was ready for the challenge to become President of Morningside/Reynolds Park Association. I began forming teams and launching teams! I partnered with Mr. Brian McCorkle of the Reynolds Park Association, and The Josh Howard Foundation to create youth participation strategies. We were able to deploy community resources to Forest Park Elementary School, created grass roots campaigns, and united people of all cultures. We also created programs for seniors and adults.