Alumni Spotlight
Cecily Croskey - PA 1 - The Originals
As one of the first Parent Ambassador's I give much credit to this program and its leadership, specifically Joel Ryan and Lori Pittman, for encouraging a very shy, young, single mother of 3 (at the time) and sometimes pushing me outside of my comfort zone. I signed my oldest son up for Head Start and was excited to get involved with his education and school so I joined the Parent Council. Little did I know that so much more would come out of this experience. WSA is where I learned to speak up and advocate for myself and others. Where my confidence grew because I did what I thought was hard and realized the hardest part wasn't actually doing it but believing that I could. After that it was about preparation and follow-through.
I am beyond grateful to have gained the skills that I did through WSA. Here's how I've been applying them since then; I am the Founder and Director of Girls Hearts on Fire, an organization that creates opportunities through nurturing self-esteem and creating plans for the future with a focus on Life-Skills, Leadership, and Entrepreneurship. I also just launched Queendom Thinking, a sisterhood for women from all walks of life; where we champion for each other in both our professional and personal lives. Additionally, I have partnered with Peace Community Center to manage the Hilltop Scholars High School College & Career (academic access) programs. I am so thrilled to be able to support youth from the very same community that I was born and raised in. We have some amazingly talented young people who make my work my joy!
A couple of my proud moments are being a Nominee for the 2016 Roslyn S. Jaffe Award ( a not-for-profit program that gives financial awards to everyday heroes who are making the world a better place for women and children, specifically in the areas of health, education, social reform and esteem.) and more recently sitting on the Board of Directors for both Impact Schools; where are mission is to prepare a diverse student population to succeed in college and impact communities as the next generation of equity-driven, innovative leaders and Under His Cover; a clean and sober shared housing community to support women creating a new and abundant life for themselves.
My vision as a professional and entrepreneur is to do my part in empowering the people in my community to walk boldly in their passions and realize their definition of success. Parent Ambassadors helped give me the confidence and support I needed to empower me in to so many wonderful opportunities and experiences.