Everybody has a story to tell.
And we don’t often look like what we’ve been through. When I was young, I dreamed of being a teacher – but that’s not me. I started off as a Housekeeper at University Hospitals, and I knew I wanted to grow. I got turned down 60 times for other opportunities. But I got turned down for a reason. When I got accepted as a community health worker – I knew this was the reason. I enjoy helping people, still teaching – but adults. You have to commit to your career growth. You have to be tenacious.

Lived experience matters.
When I first came home, I worked in a shelter. I knew shelters exited. I had heard about them. But that is not experience. During my time in the shelter, I learned a lot about being homeless and about nonprofits in Cleveland. This has given me a special connection to people and a knowledge of when and where resources are needed – I do know what people go through, because I went through it. Everybody can feel that they go through things by themselves. That no one knows what they are facing. That is where experience comes in – and why stories matter. When we see ourselves in each other, no one is alone.