SisterMentors Podcast: Recent Episodes
RuggedAngel Productions
SisterMentors has been nurturing the next generation of women of color leaders for 25 years! Our work centers on the needs and dreams of women and girls of color in the face of deep-seated institutional inequities found in the educational system. With the help of SisterMentors, over 100 women and girls of color have evolved in astounding ways. They are on their way to earning higher education degrees, particularly, PhDs. I am your host, Kahmeela Adams and I will be talking to some of these mentors and mentees.
Sheri Sesay-Tuffour is one of the SisterMentors women who earned her Ph.D. while raising young children and working full time. She is currently the CEO of a major association. Listen to her story about how she did it all and the important role SisterMentors and her family played in her success.
In this heartwarming and insightful episode, join us as Dr. Regina Fuller-White, a recent Ph.D. graduate, shares her remarkable journey from Spartanburg, South Carolina, to becoming a global influencer in international affairs. Regina delves into how her grandmother's unwavering support influenced her educational and professional pursuits. From her first passport to studying abroad in the Dominican Republic and Ghana, Regina's story is one of determination, cultural exploration, and the pursuit of opportunities that were once denied to black women in her grandmother's era.
In this far-reaching and dynamic interview, Adrienne Smith, one of SisterMentors’ Ph.Ds, shares her journey of getting beyond stagnation, writing her dissertation, and then launching her career as a leader in women’s health. She then circles back to why SisterMentors’ focus on women of color is important in these critical times.
We're joined by Shoji Malone, a first-generation college graduate and now a full-time professor, as she recounts her enriching journey from Milwaukee to the halls of academia. Shoji opens up about her family's roots in the Great Migration, her early exposure to the importance of Black culture and education, and the challenges she faced transitioning from a communications major to a doctoralcandidate. Her dissertation on Black women and church hats is not only a study of adornment but a profound exploration of identity, culture, and resistance.
Shoji also shares her transformative experience with SisterMentors, where she found solace and support among peers who understood the unique pressures of writing a dissertation. She reflects on the pivotal role the community played in her academic progress, especially during theisolating times of the pandemic. Join host Kahmeela Adams in celebrating Shoji's achievements and the invaluable impact of SisterMentors on her path to success. Discover how this nurturing network continues to empower women and girls of color in their educational pursuits, fostering a legacy of leadership and excellence.
One of the unique things about SisterMentors is the deep long term relationship between the girls and their mentors. With mentors who are excellent role models, girls are able to achieve their dream of higher education. Listen to Ruth Solomon and Bathsheba Bryant-Tarpeh talk about their journey together.
Dr. Randi Gray Kristensen was the first in her Jamaican/Danish family to graduate from college. She was also among some of the first women to take part in the peer mentoring groups that would become SisterMentors. As an academic and creative writer, she never once forgot the importance and power of mentoring. She reflects on the empowerment she felt after finding the group.
Both her academic and creative work address the perspectives and possibilities of the margin and the edge, and the structures that define and are sometimes overthrown from and by those positions.
Cindy Ayala was concerned that she didn't have the grades and that she wasn't sure of what career she wanted. SisterMentors helped to give her the focus and determination to do the work needed to successfully find her way. Ayala still believes in the organization and continues to work with them to help other young girls and women find their paths.
Host Kahmeela Adams talks with mentor Treda Grayson and her mentee Tihitina Dagnachew about how, through SisterMentors, they found support and encouragement during some of their most stressful times. When you reach out to help one person, that can creat a ripple effect through the lives of many others.
Kedest Firdaweke and her family moved to The United States from Ethiopia when she was eight years old. It was important to her parents that she and her siblings had all the educational advantages needed for success. When she was in Junior High School, Firdaweke joined SisterMentors and quickly recognized it was more than just preparing for higher education, it was about sisterhood.
Margie Obeng was always considered a bright young woman. When she was 14 years old, she became a mentee with SisterMentors she began to shine even brighter. She visits the podcast to share her experience and how her involvement helped her to see herself attending college. She also gives quite a bit of credit to her mentor, Fanta Aw.
https://sistermentors.org/
Dr. Melissa Littlefield is an Associate Professor and Master of Social Work Department at Morgan State University. Dr. Littlefield is an academic leader and freedom fighter who works hard to help elevate the voices of Black women. In this episode, we will discuss how while she was fighting to defend her spirit, she happened upon a group of women who helped to shape her future.
In this episode, Dr. Susan Ozawa Perez, an Economist, and Social Impact Specialist shares how through accountability and shared experiences, SisterMentors kept her on track for her PhD. She also discusses her family's immigration stories and learning to advocate for herself and others in a racist and sexist educational system.
In this episode, we talk Dr. Judi Moore Latta, one of the founding women of Sister Mentors. She is a storyteller who is one of the “GRITS” (Girls Raised in the South). A native of Tallahassee, Florida, she is an award-winning journalist and retired professor of communications. Dr. Moore Latta shares stories of growing up in the south, and how radio and television production became her passion. But most significantly, the story of how she played a role in the birth of SisterMentors.
SisterMentors website: https://sistermentors.org/
Dr. Judi Moore Latta website: https://www.judimoorelatta.com/