I know what it’s like to have the odds stacked against you and still care deeply about where you come from. If my experience has taught me anything, it's to give back to those who have given me so much. That’s what this campaign is all about - building community and rebuilding lives. Growing up on Dawes Street in Springfield, things weren't always easy. At just three months old, my mother was battling addiction and gave me up to my grandmother Betty. She was my rock, doing her best to me from the pain that addiction causes families. I grew up with a medical condition that made it hard for me to walk and required frequent visits to Shriners Hospital in Springfield. The memories of grandma Betty carrying me up Carew Street hill to appointments, my baby feet bound in casts will forever be ingrained in my soul as I felt what it meant for someone to show up for me unconditionally.

 

At age 11 everything changed, and I went to live with my father. This point in my life was marked by instability and uncertainty, and his abuse exacerbated it. I experienced homelessness for the first time, not knowing why I had to pack all of my bags with nowhere to go during the middle of the night. Growing up food-insecure began my cycle of wrongdoing by being forced to steal groceries to eat at night. I didn’t understand why this was happening to me and it took a toll on me, deeply affecting my sense of security and self-worth. It didn’t take long after I moved in with my father that I was incarcerated at the Department of Youth Services (DYS), which became a stark turning point for me in my life. With deep reflection and help from my caseworker that intervened after recognizing the instability of my home life, I transitioned out and moved in with my Aunt. For the first time in my young life, the environment provided stability and I found structure in sports, even winning a football state championship in high school.

 

Education became a pathway out of poverty for me. I became the first member of my family to attend and earn an Associate Degree in Business Administration from Holyoke Community College, followed by a B.S. and an MBA in Business Management from American International College in Springfield, MA. The teachers and mentors I had along the way shaped me and left a lasting impact on me. As a result, I dedicated my career to giving back to the community that had given me so much. I became a schoolteacher, youth worker, and advocate for all young people - even going back to the same facility I was once incarcerated in to pay it forward. I am living proof that if a community invests in its youth, we can change lives. Today, I own a home in Forest Park and live with my two daughters, Autumn and Cora.