During the Women’s Leadership Institute’s closing ceremony I suddenly became strongly aware of how significant this organization has been to me this year. Like Kisha and Maya related to during the ceremony, I too was very picky about who I was friends with if they were female because of bad experiences in the past. WLI not only challenged my assumptions of women as catty and competitive but gave me a whole new outlook; women as supportive and strong influences in my life. I can truly say anytime I am around a WLI member (or Ms. G!) my heart warms. They somehow make me feel special, worth something and encourage me to keep fighting the good fight.
Becoming a member of WLI could not have come at a better time. My Mom had been recently told she had several thyroid tumors and they were not sure if they were cancerous or not when I first joined. Seeing my Mom, who has always been a pillar of strength for me, be so afraid literally scared me to my core. If she wasn’t brave how could I be? Thankfully, this is when I started attending WLI Saturday programs, Woman II Woman sessions and started seeing WLI members much more often. Seeing all these young women like myself unashamed to be nervous of all the “unknowns” in their lives because they each believed in their own inner strength to carry them through, gave me the confidence I needed to have faith that my Mom would be okay. On my 21st birthday her results came back and no cancer! This was the best birthday gift I could have ever asked for. I remember sitting down as my Dad told me the good news and immediately praying. I thanked God for all those in my life who helped me through this, and unknowingly all the WLI women who gave me the strength to have faith in myself and most importantly…hope for the future.
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