Why She Rocks! The Full Cover Story

We've selected three young women in the community who we believe ROCK for our March all-women's e-newsletter issue.   Here are their full stories:

 

The Advocator

Shefon Taylor is being honored with this year's Genevieve Gore Young Woman's Leadership Award as a devoted leader dedicated to empowering women of color in her community. Shefon presently serves as the Special Projects Coordinator with the Wilmington HOPE Commission.　 Starting her term as a Public Ally in 2010, she coordinated the 'HOPE Project: A Community Parternship', a program dedicated to breaking the cycle of incarceration by providing prevention services to children with parents in prison.　 In 2012, Shefon along with Daneya Jacobs, co-founded Just BE, addressing the way girls and women of color are portrayed in the media through mentoring, media literacy and self empowerment education.　 At the HOPE Commission, Shefon is committed to improve the quality of life, reduce crime and violence in the communities of the City of Wilmington.　 She also authors a blog themoxiemodus.com dedicated to encouraging and highlighting the stories of young mothers of color. Shefon's interests include; the relationship between African-American women's activism and feminist thought, public policy related to children, youth and their families.　 Theater and the arts is also a subject of interest, particularly as evolving institutional priorities.　 As a mentor and big cousin she encourages girls to 'listen to the wisdom of your inner voice and follow what delights your heart. Shefon is currently pursuing her degree in Public Policy.　 She is also the mother of her son Aydin.

The Giver

 This passionate New Yorker (by way of the Bronx) who spends a large portion of her free time serving others in the community in order to ensure we live in a better Delaware. Rosa’s passion for stabilizing the community is evident in the many endeavors and organizations that she is involved in. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Duffy’s Hope, Inc., an organization she’s been involved with since 2009. It is there that she serves as a volunteer for its H.O.P.E.Mentorship Program that helps inner city kids in Wilmington and serves as an administrator for its summer basketball leagues and celebrity softball events. Her commitment to scholarship is obvious in the time she spends providing tutelage to the youth that she mentors through her sorority, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. It is there that she serves as a youth advisor and mentor to our future generations. As if that is not enough, Rosa has participated in initiatives with AIDS Delaware, March of Dimes, YWCA of Delaware and Food Bank of Delaware – all within her short tenure as a resident of Delaware. All while excelling in her career as an associate in the real estate industry. If you can’t find Rosa commanding the troops for the latest community service project or signing her name to yet another endeavor, you can surely find her somewhere laughing out loud. She loves to laugh and enjoys making others laugh more, counting it the best medicine anyone can prescribe. Rosa, who has served as committee chair for the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk, for the past three years is gearing up to co-chair the 11^th Annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk this fall, too. The champion spirit instilled within Rosa drives and motivates her to work tirelessly to bridge the gap between various non-profit organizations in the state of Delaware to further extend the reach to more individuals in need of services and resources each day. With that same spirit, she has identified sponsorship and job placement opportunities for the communities she serves and educates individuals on the importance of being a registered voter and a productive citizen. Rosa truly believes she was placed on earth to give of herself, time and commitment to others. Rosa is the eldest of two daughters and the proud mother of one. Her son, Darine Howze, is finishing up his senior year at York College of Pennsylvania and will graduate with a BA in Mass Communications this spring. Rosa obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 1999.

The Exudor of Resiliency
Christine St. Juste was born and raised in Haiti until the age of 12 when she was given the opportunity to leave the third world country and come to America.  Here, she was placed in the foster care system where she spent nine years. Now, she is a senior at Delaware State University, with a 3.36 GPA, majoring in Criminal Justice and the first generation of her family to graduate from high school to further her education. Sometimes she's asked what is her motivation.  She says it's a statement her father made: "You will be living on the street and have lots of babies by the age of 17." Although his statement hurt her to her core, she didn't allow it to break her. Christelle will graduate from Delaware State University this May with a BA in Criminal Justice and become a Public Ally.  She will further her education to get a Masters in Social Work and a Juris Doctor. Throughout her life and now as a DSU student, she has been committed in making a difference in the community. As a member of the Youth Advisory Council (YAC), she has been exposed to a lot of volunteering opportunities. She is currently involved in a policy work group working with the Delaware Youth Opportunities Initiative (DYOI) advocating for foster youth and legislating the Ready by 21 Bill. The Ready by 21 Bill is the extension of youth in foster care until the age of 21 years old. She is also a part of the founding members of the Delaware State University Student United Way. This change organization addresses critical education, income and health issues. Other community efforts that she has participated in are Adopt-A-Highway, Rita’s Mental Health Awareness Month, Habitat-For-Humanity and feeding the homeless.  After graduation, St. Juste's says $tand By Me has been critical in assisting her financially. "I knew I would like to further my education. Since I did not have the financial support compared to my peers, I had to find different avenues in assisting me with school. $tand by Me scholarship is among the many who has helped tremendously. They provided me with a $tand by Me ally who serves as mentor and helped me with my resume, applying for a job, as well as implementing a post graduation plan. The financial coach considers my circumstances and helps develop strategies to help reach my goal."