Faith in Yourself

On Tuesday, June 28, we were visited by two astounding women who each told their story of devotion, hard work, and passion for their communities and their jobs. Rev. Tiffany Knowlin, who is the first female pastor, the first African-American pastor, and the first pastor under 30 years old, shared a story about the importance of Christianity in the lives of African-Americans as of the days when they still were slaves and how song and their faith kept them strong and resilient through the hardship. Moreover, she not only told the story but also sang it, filling the room with her angel-like voice that created an atmosphere of a sermon as if we were in her church. Afterwards, we continued with a truly lively and active Q&A session as she answered our questions regarding faith, history and issues connected with African-Americans.

Afterwards, we heard Moryah Jackson's story of her persistence, hard work, continued passion for education, and desire to help others. She is Assistant Director of Diversity & Inclusion and Community Engagement Office of Diversity and Inclusion; however, her path to her position was not easy; at a young age she lived in poverty, without a home and sometimes food. But she persisted, studied hard, and looked for new ways how to learn more and help others in this process. Her presentation felt more like a conversation, as she tied our questions into her story with the biggest value, personally, being leadership and what it means to be a leader. After her session, there are now many new LinkedIn profiles, we know the importance of networking and fundraising. Quoting her: "Leadership is not about the position you hold, but about the difference you make."