My life's mission is to create a life so that my son and I can live healthy and comfortably. I plan to continue my education until I feel that I have become who I want to become. I will give my son better opportunities. I will push him into the books and not the streets. Most importantly, I will have no regrets in life.

In the next two years, I plan on having my own place for my son and me, complete my associate's degree in nursing and attend a university to receive a bachelor's degree while maintaining a job. Although my goals are very large for someone my age, I feel that I have gained the confidence to successfully fulfill my goals in the short time I have been in the Transition to Independent Living (TIL) program. Being a young woman this day and age, I have a strong vision for myself that I plan to achieve no matter what life throws at me. Despite my situation, I hold high expectations to achieve every goal I set, no matter what.

Just beginning

I managed to keep well over a 3.0 GPA in high school all four years despite being a victim of sexual assault, working part time and balancing tough times at home. Therefore, no one can tell me that I am incapable of staying focused and being successful, all while having a baby. My life and goals are not over, they are just beginning! I plan on transferring to Macomb County Community College to receive my associate's degree in nursing, since it will give me a better chance of getting into Michigan State University's College of Nursing to receive my bachelor's degree.

By the summer, I plan on having my own place. I put money to the side in a piggy bank to save when I can. It sounds childish, but it really works. I want to begin saving so I will have enough in my bank account by the end of the TIL program to move into my own place.

Taking care of business

Most of all, I have high hopes of being able to maintain another job to help me continue to save and support myself and my son. So far, I have been given the opportunity to apply for a position under my former employer, Michigan Roundtable. I had a successful interview for a job and was hired. I will still look for other job opportunities in case my current options don't work out.

Overall, I feel that I am fully capable of achieving my goals as long as I l believe in myself. No one else can do the hard work for me. Therefore, when the going gets tough, it is up to me to stick it out and remind myself how important it is for me to make my goals come true so that my son and I can live a great life. I am not a little girl anymore and it is time for me to become a young woman and take care of my business so that I will continue to be successful in the TIL program and most importantly in life.                

Dr. Shanks: Start small. Find small things you can do well, and then once you do that and meet some people and make some connections they will probably provide ways that you can help more. Get involved with a community that you are already engaged with, your neighborhood or your church. I'm always in danger of over-committing so I want to make sure I can follow through with my commitments.

Dr. Shanks: Probably a person who completely stays on my radar is Marian Wright Edelman because her whole life she has been committed to giving a voice to children. I got a chance to meet her which was pretty exciting for me.

There's a man named James E. (Jim) McCloud who started the scholarship program I worked with my freshman year, and he passed away the past year. He was Dean of Students at Washington University, where I got my undergrad. We're writing a tribute book to him now. I'm becoming more and more appreciative of someone who spent their life devoted to helping other people have opportunities.

Dr. Shanks: I like the fact that even as a relative outsider, I can get involved and hit the ground running and do things in the community and feel like I have some impact. In some big cities the structure is so entrenched that it's tough to get going. I think that there are wonderful institutions that have existed for a long time, but continue to evolve, like the DIA and the Charles H. Wright Museum, Belle Isle. Things that are a part of our cultural and artistic heritage that you can tap into and benefit from.

And there's a history of activism. Even though Detroit has been around for a long time, there's still potential and more things to be done. People continue to work to improve what exists.

Dr. Shanks: I think for two reasons. One, girls and young women aren't just the next generation of leaders but they're going to shape the next generation if they become mothers. Research shows if women are empowered, it makes everything better and more positive. If there's some investment to be made, it should be in supporting, encouraging and educating young women. 

Dr. Shanks: Winning the Rhodes scholarship, but after I did that I started doing more interesting things. It put me on a whole different path that introduced me to some wonderful people. After that I got my PhD and became involved in social work. 

Dr. Shanks: At a basic level, to believe in yourself and foresee your dreams, but beyond that to actually focus on your strengths and find ways to develop through education and training so that you have ways to develop and grow in the future. 

To learn more about AFG's Role Model Dinner, visit our Role Model Dinner page on our website. And stay tuned to future e-newsletters to hear from all of our 2013 Role Models! 

My days have certainly changed since becoming a Peer Educator (PE). I am currently on a team called Youth Street Outreach, and I love being on this team! No day is the same going on shift. We go out into the community, spreading the word about AFG and offering resources. We talk to so many different females, some sharing their lives while others are apprehensive. And while doing our outreach, we become closer to one another and share too many laughs to count! Even though I'm the newest member on the team - they make me feel like I've been there just as long as they have. Continue reading on AFG's Blog.

Role Model Dinner Tickets Now on Sale

Tickets for the 2013 Role Model Dinner are now on sale! The annual event will be held on Thursday, March 21st at The Fillmore Detroit. Tickets are $150 each. To learn more, visit the RMD webpage or purchase tickets online now.

Volunteer Opportunities

AFG is seeking energetic volunteers to help our young women get in shape! If you have experience with yoga, dance, or another fun form of phyisical fitness and would like to lead a class of young women at AFG, please contact Anna at volunteering@alternativesforgirls.org.