If you knew me in high school, you know there was one thing I had planned after school - rushing home to head out to work my shift at UrbanPromise. Answering calls and directing visitors from 3 to 6:00 PM was my routine for all four of my high school years.

24 years later, you can still catch me racing home from time to time to catch an UrbanPromise zoom call. UP holds a special place in my heart and when I think about why, only one cheesy thought comes to mind: Be the change you wish to see in the world.

Although I didn’t recognize it then, UrbanPromise played such a huge part in defining my life as a teenager and shaping who I am today as an adult. Planning for life after high school wasn’t a big focus for me. Coming from a family of public service workers, college didn’t seem like something I had to do to be successful. After spending a couple years at UP, I felt like the outsider because I wasn’t planning for my education after high school. The enthusiasm around college tours, degrees and getting out of the city was infectious! So much so, I found myself on one of those tours, visiting design schools in NYC.

Today, as the Global Director of Levi’s Kids apparel, I often look back on my career in fashion and wonder if my path would have been different if not for the four years I spent working at UP. Thankfully, we’ll never know! :)

To continue to bring the same motivation and inspiration to the youth in the city of Camden, please join me in helping UrbanPromise reach its campaign goal. Help me match my campaign contribution of $2800 for a total of $5600. Any amount will help and sharing this link will reach more people than you can imagine.