Making a Mark and Keeping it There

Ryan is a member of the Young Women of Color Leadership Council.

I grew up in a predominantly black community where it seemed children were always getting into trouble, skipping school, gambling on the corner, smoking, drinking, and talking about sex. I’ve often asked myself, "What is wrong with this picture?" Why are black men always getting arrested, why are teen mothers getting younger and younger, and with all the information available nowadays why is HIV/AIDS so rampant among my people?

Of all the social ills in my community HIV/AIDS is the one that has personally impacted my life the most. When I was seven years old my uncle died of AIDS. I have two other relatives who are living with HIV. Everyday I hear about the growing number of those infected. Youth ages 15-19 infected with HIV have increased by 70 percent, and African American women continue to become infected at disproportionate rates. This motivated me to join a local group in South Florida called MotherWit, a program for young women of color to act as peer educators not only for their peers, but for their community as well. I later became President and dedicated myself to educating people about how to protect themselves, stay healthy and free of HIV/AIDS and various STIs. Along my journey, I have learned so much, and am still learning. I’ve learned more by educating than any student can learn in school. The ideas, experiences, discussions, and lifestyles of the people I educate have allowed me to grow into the person I knew I could be─ a person of purpose, dedication, motivation, and inspiration. When I first started peer educating I was shy and unsure of myself, but now, as many will tell you, I have blossomed into a person who stands up for what she believes, isn’t shy to speak, and has developed a passion to make change rather than sit back and wait for change to happen. And I give that to my community, in hopes that I can be that inspiration to another girl or boy to take a stand and make their mark, too.

Aside from my community work, I am a senior in high school and earning my Associates of the Arts Degree in Biology. I am an only child to a single mother— raised by my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, the three women who inspire me to be the person I am today. And like any teenager, I enjoying living life and discovering what this world has to offer for me to take and make my own.