Below is the transcript of Kia Diaz’s speech at The Care Center’s 40th Anniversary Fundraising Party.
I am an alumni of Bard Microcollege Holyoke and a 3rd‐grade math teacher in Baltimore.
My name is Kia Diaz, and it is an honor to stand here tonight and tell you about my experience at The Care Center — a place that not only empowers women through education, but transforms lives in ways that ripple outward for generations.
Feeling Trapped & Worried
I first learned about The Care Center when I saw their flyer for a part-time college class on creative writing. At the time, I was struggling with writer’s block while trying to finish a 200‐plus‐page novel. I signed up for the class hoping it would help me get unstuck.
I also felt trapped in an inescapable cycle of poverty. I was waitressing off and on, doing everything I could to keep up with my bills, but it never felt like enough. My son and I were living at my mom’s house because I couldn’t afford a place of our own. He was in high school, and I worried about what our instability meant for his future.
Possibility Opening Up in Front of Me
What I didn’t know was that this writing class would change our life.
On the last day of class, my teacher Pam asked me if I planned to apply to Bard College downstairs. I laughed and said, “No. They would never accept me.”
And she said words that still echo today: “Kia, you can do this. I believe in you.” So I applied—fully convinced I wouldn’t get in.
Weeks later, a letter arrived in the mail. I had been accepted. I cried. I was 36 years old, and for the first time in a long time, I felt possibility opening up in front of me.
The Accomplishment That Lit a Fire
College was not easy. I was pushing myself in ways I hadn’t in years. There were moments I wanted to quit — especially during the COVID lockdown, virtual learning, and yes, even the great toilet paper crisis.
But I didn’t give up. Instead, I grew in ways I didn’t expect. I built real friendships—deep connections with people who understood my struggles and shared my hopes. That community, that sense of belonging was huge. At the Care Center, I not only felt supported, but understood.
I earned my associate degree. And that accomplishment lit a fire in me. I went on to earn my Bachelor’s in Psychology from Mount Holyoke.
What I Bring to My Third Grade Classroom
I walk into my third grade classroom every day with purpose — not just pedagogy. I bring lived experience. I bring resilience. I bring a deep understanding of what it means to navigate systems that weren’t built for you.
And I bring a commitment to help my students build new ones.
Teaching in an urban district comes with challenges. Many of my students have witnessed violence or trauma, and I use my background in psychology to teach emotional regulation, mindfulness, and the power of using words instead of fists.
I try to give my students what The Care Center gave me: belief, opportunity, and the tools to rise. Because once you’ve experienced the power of education to transform your life, you can’t help but want that for every child you meet.
What Happens When Women are Educated and Empowered
Now, I get to be someone else’s Pam. And everyday I get to tell the children in my classroom, “I see you. I believe in you. You can do this.”
I am standing here — a college graduate, a mother, an Indigenous Urban Educator, a leader, a graduate student at American University in D.C., living downtown in a luxury apartment with a concierge. This December I will have not one but two Master’s Degrees — because of The Care Center.
Because when women are educated and empowered, they flourish. They elevate. They transform not only their own lives, but the lives of their families, their communities, and everyone who comes after them.
