Girls ages 8 to 18 expressed their hopes for the future of the community and themselves, and received motivation through fun activities to work toward those goals at a seminar Saturday at Southwest Mississippi Community College.
Finding Your Way out of Poverty’s Level Up seminar went throughout the afternoon in a day full of activities, with the young guests wanting to stick around longer by the time it concluded, organizer Shaunta McDowell said.
McDowell, a former foster child who worked herself out of poverty to corporate management when she took a job at Sanderson Farms at 19, is a model of motivation and has lived a life of success reached through hard work and determination.
She said she set out to inspire the girls who attended to follow a similar path.
“I think they got a lot of value, they got motivated, they got an understanding of their self worth, they got value in knowing they can select different careers, and we talked about the value of money as well,” she said.
The event featured groups of girls from local schools and churches and an adult leader. They made colorful vision boards with their hopes and dreams for McComb’s future.
A group of Summit students called Awesome Blossom, led by school counselor Tomieka Brumfield, won first place in the vision board competition, while a group from Pleasant Grove East McComb Baptist Church placed second and the Pike County Prancer-ettes dance troupe placed third.
McDowell presented Brumfield with a bouquet of flowers at the school on Tuesday morning.
“When we see somebody working and kids are that confident, that lets me know somebody loves them and they have poured into them, so we appreciate you so much for what you’re doing,” McDowell told Brumfield. “Don’t fret, don’t give up hope, don’t get tired; get inspired because we see you, we appreciate you.”
McComb Mayor Quordiiniah Lockley and Selectwoman Terri Waterman-Baylor attended the event. Teachers Kayla Boss and Keyonna Wallace received awards for being motivational mentors. Kierra Quin, McDowell’s daughter, gave a dance lesson. Isabella Clark and Jakayla Harrell were speakers.
Representatives from Pike National Bank, one of the sponsors of the event, also talked to the attendees about money management.
Other topics included crime prevention.
“We talked about spotting trouble,” McDowell said, adding that “crime and poverty go together.”
McDowell said she hopes to have another seminar in the near future for boys of the same age.
“It was a fun, interactive day,” she said. “It was all fun. They weren’t ready to go.”
