For Those Before Me

Essex County chapter member Penda F. shares a special GlamourGals experience and the impact it has had on her personal life and educational journey.

During my March GG Senior Home Visit, I had the pleasure of meeting Jean. While we spent time bonding and talking about how much she liked to travel, her love for her three children, and her life when she was younger, what stood out to me the most was the impact her children and education had on her life. Throughout the time I spent with her, she repeatedly asked me questions about my life. Whenever I responded that I was still in high school and had no kids, she told me that she was a junior when she had to drop out of school due to pregnancy. She was very proud of her kids, but I could sense the regret and bittersweetness in her voice whenever she brought it up.

“You’re a senior, so you’re almost done,” she reminded me. Jean wanted me to focus on my education so that I would not make the same mistakes she did. Hearing her story inspired me to appreciate the importance of education and the opportunities I had to not only graduate high school, but also to go to college. This fall, as I enter the Howard University Campus, I will carry her stories with me, because I will not only be pursuing my education for myself, but for Jean and the thousands of women who did not get the chance to.