“I grew up in a home filled with instability, poverty, and violence. By junior high, I was already smoking, drinking, skipping school, and falling into the same self-destructive patterns I saw around me. I dropped out of school in grade 9. At 18, I became a mom.
When my daughter was born, I knew I wanted more for her. I didn’t want her to grow up repeating the same cycle I had lived through. But knowing I wanted change and believing I was capable of it were two very different things.
That’s when I was nominated for In The Lead.
For the first time, I had caring adults who believed in me. They helped me recognize strengths I never thought of as strengths—courage, resilience, perseverance, and even vulnerability. I’ll never forget the sticky notes my peers and coaches wrote about me. I still carry those words with me, and they remind me of who I am when life feels overwhelming.
Through In The Lead, I shifted the way I thought about myself and my future. I stopped feeling like life just happened to me, and I began to believe I could shape my own story. I gained confidence to share my voice, to speak in public, and to step into leadership. I started to see myself as a role model—not only for my daughter but also for others who, like me, had been told they weren’t enough.
Those lessons became my anchor when I faced one of the hardest challenges of my life: a brain tumor diagnosis and surgery in 2024. Recovery has been difficult, and I’ve had to relearn skills I once took for granted. But the foundation I gained from In The Lead—resilience, adaptability, and hope—helped me face those challenges without giving up.
Today, I am completing my university degree, something I once thought was impossible. I’m raising my daughter to believe in herself and to embrace mistakes as part of learning. And I’m striving to be the kind of mentor and encourager that In The Lead was for me.