Bilicia Hill
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My friend, Bilicia Hill, a S.O. What! Success Story

When I moved to Memphis for college in 1997, I came with two of my best friends and Bilicia Hill was one of them. Friends since 8th grade, we had a lot in common. But what I loved the most about Bilicia Hill was how positive she was during…
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Graduating Against the Odds: How I Made it to My 20 Year College Graduation Anniversary

It's graduation season, and many students are graduating against the odds. Financial challenges, lack of support, illnesses, competing priorities, too many responsibilities and so many other obstacles keep many people from completing college. But…
Andrew Bailey
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Meet Andrew Bailey, an inspiring S.O. What! Success Story

Andrew Bailey was one of the most incredible people I met during my time as a student at the University of Memphis. We were both teen parents and student leaders with tremendous challenges. And less than ideal backgrounds that most people…
Toni Boland-Evans
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Toni Boland-Evans: From Difficult Chapter into Success Story!

Toni Boland-Evans is a proud Memphian and University of Memphis alumni. She is a very passionate and determined woman. Toni has worked for NIKE as part of the Social and Community Impact Team for over 25 years. She was named Memphis Business…
Dr. Christina T. Rosenthal
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Dr. Christina T. Rosenthal: The Ideal Dentist

Dr. Christina Rosenthal, the Ideal Dentist, is also the owner and CEO of Paradigm Dental Center in Memphis. One of those wonderful women I have met, a multi-tasker, loving wife, supportive mother, a determined entrepreneur, and an inspiring…
Summer Owens be thankful
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How to Be Thankful- Saying Thank You is Just a Start

  Throughout my journey as a single mother, one of the greatest lessons I've learned is how to be thankful. Thankful for big things. Thankful even for the smallest things. Throughout my memoir, I share lots of people and things that…

Celebrating an Anniversary – 10 Years After Sharing My Secret Story

When you think about celebrating an anniversary, we usually think of happy occasions like marriage anniversaries or work anniversaries. We also think about anniversaries we don’t necessarily celebrate but do remember like the loss of loved…

The Importance of Literacy

The importance of literacy can't be stressed enough. On my lunch break for four years, I visited my mentee at the Adolescent Parenting Program. She complained about her relationship with her father and how he had no idea how she felt as a…
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Improve Literacy with ELA Higher Learning Standards (Even if You Hate Them)

I was shocked by the immediate interest of students in reading my first book, Life After Birth: A Memoir of Survival and Success as a Teenage Mother. Then I learned teachers were actually using it to help students improve literacy. First,…