WMN a Catalyst to Success
I did not intend to be a runaway… I did not intend to be a teen mother… I did not intend to be a school dropout… I did not intend to be an adult victim of abuse…
But, I was all of those things… My mother loved us, but she just couldn't cope with the four of us after my father left. The older we got, the louder she screamed and the more the abuse escalated. Finally after a beating with a kitchen chair that resulted in broken teeth and a split lip, I left home.
I ran until… I thought I had found love and protection. At sixteen, I had no way of knowing that his intense devotion was simply a need to control. I did not understand that a baby would lead to dependency rather than stability. I was back where I had started from, except that my mother had never tried to kill me. He did. I had to run away again. The saddest thing of all is that I had no way of knowing that there was another way of living.
Today… I have a Bachelor Degree and am the head office administrator for a large corporate legal department. My children are bright, well-adjusted individuals. Eight years ago, I could not foresee the woman I am today.
My success didn't happen by chance… Raised in an environment of poverty, socially and culturally deprived, I had no role models. Finding the Women's Mentoring Network changed my life. They encouraged me to recognize my potential, to leave negative influences behind and to take control. It was a slow and tedious process.
WMN staff and my mentor were with me every step of the way… Teaching me how to navigate a system that was entirely foreign to me… Encouraging me to believe in myself… Giving me the courage to create a life that I had never known was possible for me and my children.
Thank You… Your support made my journey possible.