Audrey, her husband and their two children moved to the UCM from Haiti, residing in the Sequoyah community in the Mount Vernon area of Alexandria. Audrey had heard about a group started by UCM's Opportunity Neighborhood initiative, called Sequoyah Friends. The leadership training aspect of Sequoyah Friends interested her, but she was too busy with her family and work to make a full commitment.
Then during one of the Parent Teacher Association meetings she attended at her daughter's elementary school, she was disturbed to learn that some parents had a negative view of her ethnicity. “They are lazy and uninvolved in their child’s education,” the other parents complained. Audrey attempted to explain that the conditions in Fairfax County schools are so monumentally better than the schools of her childhood and that “my children have access to so many resources and opportunities already. What else could I add to their experience?”
Not long afterwards, Audrey decided to make it a priority to participate in Sequoyah Friends. In the leadership class there, she was inspired by the passion of UCM's community developer who showed her how to empower others in the community. Shortly after, Audrey was elected to a leadership position in the school PTA and has enrolled in classes at a community college. By participating in Sequoyah Friends, the UCM staff “has taught me to be an advocate,” she shares.
Then during one of the Parent Teacher Association meetings she attended at her daughter's elementary school, she was disturbed to learn that some parents had a negative view of her ethnicity. “They are lazy and uninvolved in their child’s education,” the other parents complained. Audrey attempted to explain that the conditions in Fairfax County schools are so monumentally better than the schools of her childhood and that “my children have access to so many resources and opportunities already. What else could I add to their experience?”
Not long afterwards, Audrey decided to make it a priority to participate in Sequoyah Friends. In the leadership class there, she was inspired by the passion of UCM's community developer who showed her how to empower others in the community. Shortly after, Audrey was elected to a leadership position in the school PTA and has enrolled in classes at a community college. By participating in Sequoyah Friends, the UCM staff “has taught me to be an advocate,” she shares.
