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Female Empowerment: The Ripple Effect
Having spent much of my childhood in foster care, I had no other alternative but to move into a women’s shelter with my three young children when I escaped my abusive marriage in August 2006. I naively assumed that if I worked hard enough I would rise out of my situation, but in reality childcare costs exceeded my income. Three jobs and a 90-hour workweek left me with little time to be a mother. Therefore, I enrolled at the community college as a 27-year-old freshman, quickly establishing myself as an exemplary student and human rights activist. Subsequently, I was asked to be a keynote speaker at the 2007 United Way Power of the Purse Fundraiser, which raised $150,000 in scholarships for other survivors of domestic violence in Appalachia.
As I struggle daily to survive, I have become an active advocate for women who need support, structure, and a renewed sense of purpose in their lives. From experience, I have learned that our economic system often leaves the most destitute without a chance, and that non-profits must fill that void. I have studied the social, cultural, economic, and political policies of developing Latin America nations, and I am proficient in both written and oral Spanish. Additionally, I was the first woman, and single mother at Appalachian State University to take three children to study and volunteer abroad. I have merged my experience, empathy, positive energy, and sheer determination by devoting my career to helping empower women, and in turn I have empowered myself.
The next step in my life is to put power to purpose. My desire is to now find the mentor needed to build my social entrepenuer skills (i.e. grant writing etc), while I attend graduate school (If the USA will stop cutting my school funding so that I can afford it). Of course, my abilities to navigate across cultural and social barriers while dodging the inevitable hurdles of single motherhood, as well as my formal and first-hand education regarding woman’s issues and the polities of developing nations, will likely overcome any right-wing barriers placed before me. Besides, I'm likely the most determined woman you will ever meet. BESITOS!
Georgia
