Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what brought you to the Genesis community over seven years ago? 

I was in the teen moms foster care program, and I did good in the program. So they kind of thought I would do good in this program with the seniors and the teen moms living together and helping one another. So that’s how I ended up in Genesis.

What were some of the biggest challenges you were facing when you first arrived? 

I don’t think I really had any because I was already knowing how to live independently coming from the independent living that I was coming from. But not having someone there all the time to help you when you, you know, need help was a little different.

How did it feel to find a place like Genesis at the time? 

It felt great knowing that I wouldn’t be homeless, trying to figure it out and still trying to process my career and being a mother and not really knowing too much about life without, you know, a social worker or someone like right there to back up. So coming to Genesis, I still had that innocence. So I wasn’t all alone.

What kind of support did Genesis provide that helped you feel more stable and grounded? 

I feel like Genesis wasn’t a permanent living situation, but I know most people there was going to be there for a while. So it was more like a family. Everybody looked out for one another. And I felt like the seniors were more there to give you more knowledge. So that really helped me stay grounded when I didn’t know certain things. By them being older, I have more knowledge. They kind of pushed me in the right direction on how to do things and go about things and helping me with my son and stuff like that. Watching him, helping him with homework when I had to work and picking him up from school. So I still had like some type of help without my family being there. So they were like my second family.

What personal milestones or breakthroughs are you most, you know, proud of during your time at Genesis? 

I’m most proud of, I would say, graduating from the fire camp. Yeah.

What did it take for you to push through those hard days and keep working toward your goal? 

My son. Knowing that we had a stable place and that I didn’t have to pay a lot of bills because we weren’t making that much money and the building was able to help out with that part while I was able to stay focused and study and go to the academy five days a week and everyone was rooting for me. So that was great.

How did following your goal affect your social life, your emotional life, your academic life?

I wasn’t very sociable, but I didn’t really go anywhere because the pace was so fast. So we had to study and test every week. And it was always something new to come that we had to face challenges with. So my social life wasn’t really there. It was just more so grind, grind, grind, study, study, study, get up, go to school, get up, go to school. So I cut a lot of things off. I sacrificed a lot of stuff with my son, spending time going on trips and doing certain things. But it was worth it. It’s a small sacrifice for a big payoff.

What did that process from Genesis to homeownership look like for you? 

Well, when we first came, Genesis had a group for home ownership and they talked about it. They gave us flyers and pamphlets. I didn’t think it was possible at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I matured, I knew I could do it. But home ownership wasn’t on my mind at the moment until I started getting into my career. Then I knew I could do it. And I remembered the pamphlets because I still had them. And I just went in many different directions to try to figure out what was best for me. 

How difficult was it for you? Was it long?

It wasn’t super long, but it was long because I definitely had hiccups from things I did when I was younger, like school and not paying student loans, trying to get those situated and not spending money and doing different things. When you start making a little money, you want to spend it. And then when I started making it, I couldn’t spend it. So it taught me how to save a whole lot. And the process wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. It was a journey, but the closing day was the most exciting day.

Did you have to take any classes and any programs for you to get to that point or were you? 

Well, I took classes because I wanted to get into the NACA program. But the process was too long for me and it was too tedious. So I did take two classes just to figure out what I was doing. And then I just went with the loan officer and a realtor and just did it that way. 

Looking back on your journey from instability to being more stable now, what would you say to someone in the same place you were at seven years ago? 

It takes time. Don’t rush. You got to sacrifice a little bit just to get to where you want to be. It’s not all about partying and friends. Your friends and family will still be there once you achieve your goals. So just stay focused. Ask for help. Don’t be afraid. 

What message would you give to single mothers and young families or others who are considering applying to living at Genesis? 

Just make the best of your opportunity. So if you just stay focused and come here and do what you need to do, then you can do whatever you want. In a year, your child will be a year older and a year goes by fast. I changed my whole life in a year. So a year can make a difference. Seven months can make a difference. As long as you stay focused, you can do whatever you put your mind to. You have the help here. You just have to ask for it.  

What were your goals for yourself at the time? 

All my goals were different. I knew I wanted to be a nurse, but I didn’t want to sit through school. So I took a free class from Red for the City for EMT. I did that. And I worked with AMR and then I realized they worked with DC Fire. And I wanted to go work for them. So then I applied, I studied, I took the test. I worked out for four months straight to pass the test. It’s a physical test. And I got into the academy. 

I still have goals after the house. I’m like, what’s next? I had to go to the next one. I start medic school. So I can be a paramedic firefighter. So goals don’t stop. You always have to go to the next so you don’t get complacent. Just keep going to the next goal that you can strive for. If it’s something free that you can take, that’s going to make your life different. I say take it. It may not be what you want right now, but it gets you a step closer to where you want to be. 

What does success mean to you now?

Success to me is just achieving whatever it is that you put your mind to. Success can be being a garbage man. You did it. That’s successful. You know, for the next person, it’s not what you consider success. My success is being comfortable. I’m not rich, but, you know, able to fend for myself and get my son the things he needs and that he wants, and I can get the things I need and I want without struggling, you know, so that’s what success is to me. 

How would you say Genesis helped redefine or support that vision of yours that you had coming in?

It was more of emotional support from the residents for me, for the hard times and the long days, the “I’m proud of you” when you don’t hear from your families and stuff like that. I’m not really that type of person that gets really close to people, but I’m a friendly person, so I can dialogue and have a conversation with anybody. I’m always nice, so people are willing to talk to me. So whenever they see me in uniform or my school clothes they’d say “I’m so proud of you.” I’m like, okay, people are proud of me. You know, my son always says it, but, you know, it’s different when people that don’t know you say it. And, you know, it just makes you feel good inside. It makes you want to keep pushing forward. 

How would you say your son’s journey was through Genesis? 

I mean, my son are pretty close. We grew up together. I had him so young, but I always had the open line of communication with him. So he knew everything that was going on. So he helped me out when I’m tired and tries to make dinner or go wash my uniforms for me if I’m sleeping or stuff like that. He wants to be a cadet as well. He wants to join the fire department, even though I told him he doesn’t have to, but he wants to. So it’s good to know that I inspired him to want to do something for it. So I might have a generation of firefighters. I might’ve started a new thing for him, you know, so that kind of feels good to know. Oh, my great, great, great grandma was a firefighter, you know, so just that generational wealth and generational goals for my family is amazing.

What legacy do you hope to leave behind for the Genesis community as you move towards your next chapter? 

Don’t let the outsiders or foster care and people put a title on you. Just because you were in foster care, don’t let people put a title on you because you went from this place to that place. It’s not your last stop. 

If there was one word or phrase that captures your experience with Genesis, what would it be and why? 

Dreams can become a reality. I would say that because I dreamed I would have a stable place to stay. I did. I dreamed I wanted to be an EMT. I did. I wanted to be a firefighter. I did. I wanted my own home. I did. Living in Genesis, I dreamed all those things and I achieved them.