During the past few months that I have had the privilege to further my education at The Care Center, many doors of opportunity have opened, not just for me, but also for my fellow classmates and our children. We all have been given opportunities to awaken our own capabilities and experience things that we would have never before found ourselves interested in. I have been able to express myself through art and poetry throughout my journey at the Center. These activities made the heaviness of the responsibilities we face everyday lighter and help to make what seems impossible, possible.
I am also a mom in Christina’s House; an educational-transitional program to help make generational change and avoid homelessness for mothers and their children. Both The Care Center and Christina’s House have offered me endless support and I couldn’t be more blessed to be where I am today. Both Christina’s House and The Care Center offered childcare, computers, a safe space to live and to learn, transportation and much more.
As many of you know, it is never easy having a child at a very young age, but I can say that for me, it has made me feel like I am a superwoman who can take on anything that comes my way. My advice to all young mothers is to never let the hard times take over your days. I remember having a tough time sending my daughter into daycare for the first time. I felt feelings of frustration, separation, guilt and heartbreak. I let these emotions roll through and continued my day with faith that things would get better, and they did.
I have a very rare condition called Hermansky Pudlak Syndrome. HPS is a multi-systemic disorder consisting of several conditions, including the inability to clot blood due to platelets that don’t work, ocular albinism, which is lack of pigmentation in the eyes, skin and hair, visual impairment, nystagmus, and other conditions. I look at my disability as an ability, an ability to overcome and accomplish anything, along with being a source of inspiration for others. I feel very proud of myself for everything I have done and plan on doing.
I will be attending Bard Microcollege this coming fall to earn my associates in liberal arts, and after that pursue a career in music and art therapy. I can already see myself changing the world one child at a time. I will also be starting my own art business with hopes of also publishing my own book, with great thanks to my poetry and art teachers for the motivation.
As the Valedictorian of my class, I can honestly say I didn’t see this coming, no pun intended. But I can say that I feel absolute bliss from having the honor to stand before everyone here, in the presence of my classmates, along with our families. This is a very big accomplishment for us all. We all deal with hard times as mothers, but we had it especially hard this year due to the pandemic, and this makes our accomplishments even more extraordinary. My favorite quote from Christina’s House is “ No fear lives here.” And that is very true for all of us: instead of focusing on the possibility of failure and hard times, we pushed through.
I would like to say congratulations to my fellow graduates, and I would like to conclude by wishing my classmates ease with anything that they take on, going forward. Lastly, I would like to offer a huge thank you to The Care Center for caring about not just their students but also their students’ children, and most importantly, providing an environment of nothing but love, support and necessary resources for students to thrive in.
Congratulations Class of 2021!!!!
