A Tribute to Iotha L. Thomas - Celebrating You

By all accounts, and by that I mean my Internet search, nothing significant happened on November 20^th 1945, except for the twenty-four high-ranking Nazis who went on trial in Nuremberg, Germany, for the horrific crimes they committed during World War II. But for me that day was much more significant as it was a benchmark day which marked the beginning to my direct existence. You see on that faithful Tuesday 68 years ago a young woman gave birth to a bouncing baby girl – my mom – Ineta Lafeta Thomas also known as “Iotha” – on a small island in the West Indies called Antigua.

Iotha was the fourth of six children born to Virginia Heskey and Charles Thomas. From what I can tell based on stories I have heard she came from very humble beginnings and although she did not have much of a childhood because the times forced her to grow up fast, she did not let any of her experiences go to waste but rather chose to embrace everything that happened to her in order to help shape her into the woman she became.  I’m not sure if that was on purpose or accidentally on purpose but either way, I would learn to appreciate her wisdom as she imparted it to those who came across her path. As such she was independent and modeled what she preached. Not only does she talk the talk, but she walks the walk as well.

While her mom was lucky enough to live out her days, her dad died when she was only 13 years old which may have had a lasting effect on her but it is hard to say for sure as she is a very private person and does not speak much of her early years. In fact she may just take me to task for sharing this. However, I do recall that on those rare occasions that she mentioned her dad it was with fondness. I think it had something to do with her having to play referee. That’s all I’m going to say on that – lol. Despite her limited formative education she knew enough at an early age to desire a better way of life for herself. I’m not sure what brought her to the Virgin Islands per se, but on or about June 10, 1962 she found herself on the shores of St. Croix, one of three islands which make up the US Virgin Islands. She was not even 18 yet but was resilient and motivated enough to leave her native island and travel to unchartered waters to make the best of whatever came her way. It was a difficult time for immigrants back in those days let alone a single teenage girl. There was always the threat of deportation for those who did not have legal standings (green paper/green card) to be on the island. For many, their days were spent looking over their shoulders and nights spent sleeping with one eye open trying to evade capture and deportation. Unfortunately Iotha was not immune to that prospect either as she too found herself evading immigration officers on a regular basis until she was able to secure legal representation in the form of “bonding” which was much like a work visa.

The next 51 years or so would bring about many changes in her life and while she never marry, she has had a full life: she has two children who gave her several grandchildren, she went back to school and obtained her high school diploma, put herself through college, went to driving school and got her driver’s license, bought her first car, secured property and built her home where she still resides to this day, and yes, when time permits she travels to other far away destinations. Her early work history included working at Pelican Cove, being a domestic engineer in private homes, and at times a live-in nanny or care taker for some prominent families on the island, i,e., the Dusseau’s, Mimme, the Brim’s, the Hilty’s, the Calderons, the Bressi’s, etc. Oh and less I forget, she has also been known to play nurse’s aide to the sick and the dying. She even taught herself how to sew free-hand and did alterations for Violette’s Boutique for a time. She would later work at Pink Fancy where I got my very first real pet - a cat we called Jimmy.

When I was growing up she made most of my clothes by hand and while I didn't know it or realized it at the time, I was wearing “designer one of a kind” dresses. I know, a lot escaped me when I was growing up like the fact that I grew up in a condominium near the beach with a panoramic view of the ocean (Ralph De Chabert). But I digress. As I was saying, Iotha was not, is not afraid of hard work and built her reputation on hard work, honesty, and integrity. She would often say there was no shame in cleaning toilets and that it was an honest day’s work. As a way of instilling in me the value of gaining people’s trust, especially when they let you in their homes, she would frequently take me to work with her. Working along side my mom was a teachable moment. It was during those times that she would share little nuggets of discipline and self control with me. She shared that even though the lady of the house may say "help yourself to what's in the fridge", that was not the time to go crazy. In fact, except for a cup of water mom was very adamant about not touching anything in the fridge even though it was offered. 

I was seven years old when my mom found salvation and it would become her saving grace over the years. It was her faith that gave her strength when things got tough and it was what she turned to when she had no one else to turn to. She subscribed to Life Study Fellowship and would place a dime in an envelope every morning as she knelt to pray. If I was ever tempted to take the dimes out mom made sure to let me know the wrath of God or "God curse" would follow me if I stole the Lord's money. So much for buying candy on the way to school - lol.  She would often sing out loud as she did her chores. In fact there are times I catch myself humming some of those same old hymns while I do my chores. She was not the typical mom and I must admit that it took me getting older to fully appreciate the woman she is and all the “life lessons” she tried to teach me along the way when I was growing up. Looking back I can see now how everything my mom did was strategic and meant to teach me discipline and self-control. Two necessary traits that I gladly embraced and for which I give credit for my life being as stable as it is today. I see so much of my mom in a lot of what I do and it’s interesting to say the least. For instance, before she bought her first car we literally walked everywhere she needed to go – from East End to Questa Verde, to Sugar Beach, not having a car did not stand in her way of getting there. She did not use not having a car as an excuse to miss work. In fact she rarely missed work. 

Regardless of what was going on in her life mom always went to work. I can’t recall a time when mom did not work. Well there were a couple of days that she took to her bed when I was twelve or thirteen but that was understandable. She had just learned that a dear friend of hers had died in a car accident in Hawaii that Christmas. Other than that she has been a real trouper.

Despite the challenges she faced in life over the years she is never too busy to help others along the way. She is always adopting strangers and looking out for those who are less fortunate than she is. I remember there was an old man that used to live in a little shack under a mango tree next to the Pennsylvania bank down town. That was before they changed the name to the Scotia Bank. Anyway, Ma used to go take care of “little man” as she called him. She would clean out his little shack, made sure he ate and would sit and talk with him. I remember when he died, Ma was very shaken up. It was the second of only two funerals I had attended in my young life. The first was for my Uncle Winston. Then there was Owen, this young guy that used to come by the apartment. I was scared of him, not sure why. Anyway, mom would feed him and share the word of God with him. Sadly Owen was killed by a car while riding his bike on the highway. But he would not be the last person she would reach out to. Over the years she has ministered to so many (Lettie, Faith, Kent, etc.) and continues to help those who are in need.

Iotha is a woman of strong faith and integrity who continues to live her life as she sees fit with no apologies or regrets. She has lots of wisdom and is not afraid to share it with anyone who will listen. She is able to fit in no matter where she may go – from the company of dignitaries (governors, senators, doctors or lawyers) to the common bum on the street, she has won the respect of everyone she meets. She conducts herself with humility and while she won’t bite her tongue she is able to convey her point with respect and dignity without reverting to degrading tactics.  So on this 68^th year of her birth I celebrate my mom and all her accomplishments, big and small. And while we don’t always see eye to eye and often have disagreements I want her to know that I am eternally grateful for the life lessons she has thought me whether intentionally or unintentionally.

For leaving work to come to the hospital when I had a seizure in the first grade – thank you. For taking me to Puerto Rico when I was 10 for medical evaluation – thank you. For taking me to the hospital in the fore day morning when we had no car and had to walk back home to St. John from Charles Harwood – thank you. For making my one of a kind designer prom and class night dresses – thank you. For allowing me to keep Jimmy (pet cat) even though he liked to pee in your shoes – thank you. For bringing me Cheetos when I was pregnant with Gloria – thank you (I’m still addicted to Cheetos – lol). 

For preparing oats for breakfast when I was growing up – thank you. For making sure my cocoa was not too hot – thank you. For fishing the needle out my cocoa before I swallowed it – thank you. For inspiring me not to have more children until I could take care of them – thank you. For telling me not to be a dish cloth/hand towel for men – thank you. For not using profanity in my presence – thank you. For teaching me how to be domesticated – thank you. For allowing me to struggle and find myself thus build my character – thank you. For showing me how to be self-sufficient and not depend on others for my happiness – thank you. For dragging me to church – thank you. For teaching me how to pray – thank you. For instilling in me the desire not to lie – thank you. For teaching me the importance of integrity – thank you. 

For instilling value and morals in me – thank you. For helping me develop good work ethics – thank you. For helping me get my first home – thank you. For modeling discipline and self-control for me to follow – thank you.  For being the woman that birth me – thank you. For being a “no nonsense” kind of woman – thank you. May God grant you many more years on this side of the earth and may they be the best years ever. Happy birthday Ma! You are the best mother for me.

Fun facts

So, how much did things cost back in 1945? Well for starters, the average cost of a new house was just $4.600.00. Average wages per year was $2,400.00. The cost of a gallon of gas was 15 cents. Average cost for house rent was $60.00 per month.  Average cost of a new car was $1,020.00. By far everything back then was so much more affordable. Wonder if we will ever see those averages again. Somehow I don't think so. I’m just saying – I got issues. What about you?)i(

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No Reprieve for the Diligent

With life’s challenges it sometimes becomes necessary to be proactive and take matters into your own hands in an attempt to reduce the chances of negative effects which can no doubt cripple you financially, if not worst. However, sometimes your well intentions can land you in a situation which can be both frustrating and overwhelming especially when you are dealing with seemingly ignorant people. Recently I found myself in just such a predicament. I've owned my home for roughly 15 years. Well I’m making mortgage payments with the hope of owning it someday. Sidebar: I don’t know why they say you “own” your home when truth is the bank/mortgage company owns it. Don’t believe me? Miss a payment and see how long it takes for them to start foreclosure proceedings to have you removed out of the house if you don’t rectify the delinquency.   

Now back to your regularly schedule programming – lol. Okay, as I was saying, recently I found myself in just such a predicament. I've owned my home for roughly 15 years. I've never been late with a payment nor have I ever missed a payment. With the challenges of losing my job, the car accident which rendered me unable to work, and subsequent health issues, I found myself at the verge of missing a payment.  So being the proactive person that I am I decided to contact my mortgage company to see if there was anything they could do to help a sister out. Well, actually my first letter to them was just pretty much me asking them to take into consideration all the stuff I had gone through and to consider offering me mortgage forgiveness. I know you're thinking, “what big balls you have Yáminah” lol. 

The way I figure it, I've been paying on this house for 15 years. Taking into consideration the purchase price, the interest rate, the amount of the monthly payments, and the length of time I have been paying on it, surely by now I have more than paid for it. The only thing/drawback is it all went to interest, well the bulk of it anyway. Shoot, if banks could get a bailout from the federal government, the least they could/can do is pay it forward. Can I get an Amen? Think about it. In life you have to give to get, right? So why can’t the banks and mortgage companies give something back for a change?

Open your local newspaper on any given day and you will find it is filled with countless foreclosures. Walk through your neighborhood – how many empty/vacant houses do you see? There are 95 houses in my neighborhood. Fifteen (15) of them are vacant. Most of them have been vandalized or the local teens have set up shop in them. Banks/mortgage companies really don’t gain/benefit from foreclosures, especially in this economy but nobody of influence has figured that out yet or if they have, they don’t care because it really ain't their money.

Anyway, as I was saying before I ran off on that “chain of thought”, I sent a couple of letters to my mortgage company requesting assistance or at best, for mortgage forgiveness. Up until recently, my interactions with them had been minimal at best.  Being a proactive person, rather than wait until my situation became grave, I opted to reach out to see what alternatives or options were available to me. At the end of April I wrote them a second letter detailing the hardship I was experiencing as a result of health and economical issues, and my desire to stay current with my mortgage payments if in fact mortgage forgiveness was not an option. What I got in response was a brief voice message from one of their staff members the week of May 20^th. Upon returning her call we discussed in details my situation, i.e., that I was unemployed, did not have any income since 2/5/13, was disabled due to a car accident on 6/6/12, was waiting for a ruling on my disability application, and my desire to keep my home. She then indicated that she had sent me a package in the mail and that I should complete and return it as soon as possible. A few days later I received the envelope containing an application for the Making Home Affordable Program. On May 27^th, after completing the application I hand delivered it to the agent along with the supporting documents. 

During that meeting with the agent, I again shared my situation and my desire to save my home.  She shared that she would give my application to the underwriter and hopefully have a decision for me by that Thursday or Friday. That did not happen. Giving her the benefit, I waited until the following week (June 3^rd) before visiting the office. At that time she apologized for not getting back to me citing preoccupation with foreclosures as her reason for not getting back to me.  She then indicated that she would have a response for me by that Friday (June 7^th). Again, she did not follow through. It is important to note that not once during our conversations did she indicate that my application was contingent on me being delinquent (a fact that she already knew was not the case as I am and have always been up to date with my payments since the onset off my loan). In fact I was led to believe that based on my situation, assistance was almost guaranteed. My options were either: 1) a suspension of payments for a period of 12 months; or 2) partial/reduced payments with the latter being my preference as the first option would affect my credit rating.  I had no idea that any of this was considered a formal loan modification as I am aware that you have to have income in order to be considered for that, or that this process was a part of “loss mitigation”. Nothing in those terms was ever mentioned. Truth is I thought this "Hope" program was a similar program to the "Home Safe Georgia" program – a program for which I was a participant the year before.

What happened next is what really frustrated me. On Saturday June 15^th I received a notice of certified mail from my local post office in my mailbox. When I picked up the certified mail on Monday June, 17^th it was only to discover that it was a duplicate copy of a letter the agent had sent me, which was delivered to my home without incident on that Saturday (June 15^th). That the agent felt the need to also send the rejection letter via certified mail knowing full well that I had difficulty getting around and would have to make a special trip to the post office to retrieve it, to me was inconsiderate and showed no regard for my physical condition.  That she knowingly offered me false hope that the Making Home Affordable Program was an option for me giving the details of my situation was also very inconsiderate. Not only did I waste my time and energy completing and compiling supporting documents for an application that was mute, I also wasted time and gas traveling to their office twice. 

Even if I was to give her the benefit of the doubt that she was not aware of the eligibility requirements for the program; that she neglected to research the program’s requirements prior to mailing out the application shows a deficit in her attention to detail and speaks volume to her lack of dedication for what she does. 

To add insult to injury, her letter dated 6/13/13, which I have determined is a form letter generated by their system, insinuated that there was still hope for me when it  included the following sentence: “Although we cannot process your request at this time, this does not mean your situation is hopeless.” As such, I wasted no time calling her to inquire about what other alternatives were available, only to be told, interestingly enough, that there was nothing else available because all other programs requires that my account be delinquent or that I had some form of income.

Then to add to my frustration, attempts to pay my mortgage through their phone option proved to be futile as was attempts to reach an actual live person on the phone. I then turned to the Internet thinking I could pay it online, however that option was not available to me once I logged into my account. I had to resort to calling the main number for their parent company to get assistance in finding a live person to help me.  I was first transferred to the “supervisor” but he did not answer and his voice message indicated that “this is the week of June 17^th. Bear in mind this was Monday June 25^th. All I could do at that point was shake my head before calling back the parent company’s main number and requesting someone else.  I was then transferred to another agent who did her best to help me after I relayed to her my challenges in making a payment.  Not sure if my telling her I was in the process of getting dressed to come down there had any bearing on her willingness to help. Anyway, it was during that call that I learned for the first time that my account had some sort of “stop” mode assigned to it which prevented any payments to the account. She indicated that she would remove the hold and process my payment.  She also indicated that she would waive the $5 processing fee associated with making a phone payment through her - a gesture for which I was grateful even though I knew fully well that there was no fees for over the phone payments. I figure I would just choose my battles since I wanted to win the war.

My main frustration with this whole ordeal is that there appears to be no consideration/relief for people like myself who pay their bills on time but find themselves in a similar predicament due to no fault of their own. It appears that in this country we promote/reward people for “abandoning” their responsibilities and punish the ones who  don't but instead does the right thing. It seems like the people who are delinquent in paying their bills or who run up huge debts and then file for bankruptcy as an umbrella to keep the stuff without having to pay for them, get more assistance and are catered to more so than the ones who try to do the right thing. Personally I think the system is strategically designed by the bureaucrats who run these agencies to keep the “poor” poor in an attempt to ensure job security. 

Think about it, the less people there are who aspire to get off or stay off welfare by working to support themselves and/or get a college education, the less people they (the bureaucrats) have competing for their jobs. I remember hearing my mother say when I was a little girl that welfare was designed to keep the “poor” poor. As a result my mother did not participate in their programs but rather chose to work hard to support her family even though accepting welfare would have made our lives so much easier.  I too grew up to denounce welfare and follow in my mother’s footstep to work and support my family.

All my life I strive to uphold the principle/concept that was instilled in me by my mother at a young age, which is that my reputation and my credit were the two single most important things that I possess and that I should protect them at all cost. A principle/concept which I have embraced and I am very good at. Even now, faced with no income and no job prospect in the foreseeable future due to my disability I continue to make great strives to keep a roof over my head and food on the table. An effort that is in no way an easy feat by any account. However I remain vigilant that the God I serve is leaning towards me and that He will continue to make a way where there is no way.

I am not sure how this will end but it is my hope that it will end in my favor. I am not at all opposed to receiving my deed in the mail as a gesture of good faith.

In the meantime, it is my hope that the mortgage company will take steps to train their staff in the areas of providing good customer service which includes among other things, providing all pertinent information to clients prior to subjecting them to submitting applications for programs that they are otherwise not eligible for. I’m just saying – I got issues. What about you?)i(

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A Tribute to Mrs. Janet V. Prince-Soto: Giving You Your Flowers Now!

I recently became aware that Fashion Link VI, in conjunction with Kisura's Fashion will present their first annual Fashion Exposé on St. Croix,  U.S. Virgin Islands August 16^th - 18^th, 2013. From what I can tell, it promises to be a grand event.  As listed on their website, “Kisura's Fashion [is] an on-line Boutique with fashionable clothing for all occasion[s].” They feature an array of sizes for both women and men.  They also carry souvenir t-shirts featuring prints of historical and scenic “sites of the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as Kisura's Fashion Logo T-Shirt.” You can learn more about the upcoming exposé by visiting http://myvideowebshow.com/show/kisuras-fashion.

As part of the event they will honor various local entrepreneurs for their years of service to the community in their souvenir booklet. One of the honorees being highlighted for her long years of service to the territory in the field of Cosmetology is Mrs. Janet V. Prince-Soto. I was honored when asked to submit a small tribute on her behalf for the booklet. Due to space constraints, I was limited as to what I could submit for print. As such I decided to write an expanded version here.

I first met Mrs. Soto back in 1981 when I was a sophomore at St. Croix Central High School.  Actually, I really had no interest in cosmetology at the time, but the general classes I needed were all filled so I had to choose something else. Glancing over my choices on the vocational track, Cosmetology stood out for me because it didn't look that hard and I figured it would be an easy pass - yeah, right! Little did I know at the time that it was all divinely orchestrated for me to be exposed to Mrs. Soto.   At first she struck me as a “no-nonsense” type of teacher and time would prove that my first instinct of her was correct. She challenged her students to do their very best and “good” was not good enough. She required excellence. Her expectations of us were more than anyone had ever expected of me and my plan of sitting in the back of the classroom in an effort to avoid being called upon proved to be ineffective as she called on everyone randomly regardless of where you were sitting. 
As a student in Mrs. Soto’s class it was not a question of “if” she will call on you, but rather “when” she will call on you. Her teaching style was “hands-on” and everyone was expected to demonstrate what they learned without exceptions. She would walk around the classroom looking at your work, pointing out mistakes and offering accolades when you got it right. I had never met anyone like her before or since. While she exhibited a tough exterior and ran her classroom like a drill sergeant – so much for skipping over ROTC, lol –  the individual attention she showed each of her students was unmatched by any I had seen before. Truth is when I encountered Mrs. Soto I was a frail, attention-deprived, pregnant teen who didn't know how much I didn't know about a lot of things; including the child I was carrying. However, under her guidance I learned so much and not just about the practical and theory of cosmetology (including the skills and mechanisms needed to run a successful business), but also about etiquette and the fundamentals of life. Many of which was not taught anywhere else, not even during four years of college, but all of which would impact my life inside and outside of the classroom.  She made me push myself harder and further than I ever did before and even today I still expect more of myself than anyone else and I also hold myself at a higher standard than anyone else. I strive for perfection.

During the first few weeks of class I did my best to conceal my pregnancy, but I remember when I became aware that she knew that I was pregnant. One day after class she kept me behind after she had dismissed the other students and we had a serious one-on-one conversation which was very thought provoking. Her concerns were for my safety and her fear that I could slip and fall in her class. She forced me to ask myself some tough questions which would eventually shape my decision to remain in school. Not sure if it was her intent or not, but her suggestion that I should consider going to night classes backfired even though it sent me straight to the counselor’s office seeking a transfer after our meeting. Mr. Mack, my counselor at the time, raised even more questions which caused me to further question my motives for wanting a transfer. The answers ultimately ended with my decision to stay enrolled in day classes. A decision I have never regretted. Not only did I keep my grades up and graduated on time, but it would be 11 years before I would have another child. 

During the three years I was enrolled in Mrs. Soto’s class, I sought her out for advice and guidance about a lot of things not related to her class.   Amazingly, she never sent me away because she was too busy to listen. Yes, Mrs. Soto believed in teaching the “whole” student and her methods were not confined to traditional ways. As such, much of our lessons went far beyond the typical classroom setting. She challenged us to do better and she taught us life lessons that stayed with us long after we graduated from high school. I say “we” because many of her students share my view of her and still stay in close contact with her. That is in and of itself a testament of the high regard we hold for her and the things she has instilled in us.

I have lots of fond memories of Mrs. Soto from over the years. Some go as far back as my early encounters with her at school when the other girls and I would all run to help her unload the contents of her car and carry them into the classroom. Mostly because we knew she had goodies she would share with us, i.e., homemade bread, maubi, etc. And then there was our senior class trip to Puerto Rico - it was my second time traveling in a group (the first time was our trip to St. Thomas for the cosmetology competition).  Oh the fun we had visiting stores, swimming at the beach, and exploring El Yunque (local rain forest). We had a great time but Mrs. Soto never missed an opportunity for a “teachable” moment.  She taught us how to budget our money, how not to make needless purchases, and more importantly why it was imperative that we stick together as we ventured out in unfamiliar territory. But by far my favorite memories by are of her visiting me in Atlanta. I have memories of us attending Bronner Brothers hair show, attending Sunday service, walking the mall, and having countless conversations just catching up on each other’s lives. My ex-husband commented to me after meeting her for the first time that he could see where I got a lot of things I did from. She is who I call when life gets overwhelming or when my own mom gives me grief. 

I tell people all the time that I am the woman I am today in part because of my exposure to Mrs. Soto. I see so much of her in me, i.e., completing and submitting registration cards for products purchased (TVs, printers, computers, cameras, blender, etc); documenting date of purchase, place of purchase, serial number, and model number on the product instruction booklet; creating a paper trail when calling companies regarding a dispute (name of who I spoke to, date I called, and final outcome of the conversation); making notations of important things on post-it notes (appointments, task reminders); paper clipping notes to things (travel itinerary, bills); organizing things for easy access; composing “to do“ lists; recycling things to get maximum usage; locating typos and grammar mistakes in written materials, etc.

I sometimes shudder to think what my life would have been like had I not been exposed to her. Sure I may have still grown up to be a decent person who made some good choices along the way but I can only attribute my impeccable ability for making “good decisions” in part to the lessons I learned from her. There are very little decisions I have made over the years that I regret. That is because Mrs. Soto taught me about consequences, accountability, and taking responsibility for the choices I make. At a time when most teachers were only interested in passing on “book sense”, Mrs. Soto went far beyond that to provoke our God-given “common sense”.  

This busy mother of two beautiful daughters (Valencia and Olympia), who gave her four handsome grandsons (Germaine, Curt, Kevin, & Darin), who in turn made her a great-grandmother, lets no moss grow beneath her feet. Choose any given day of the year and you will find her busy doing something, i.e., traveling to some exotic or not so exotic location, chairing or attending a meeting, engaged in some small or major project, attending some charity event for her local church, visiting one of her daughters, visiting one of her grandsons,  visiting some other family member, picking fruits in her garden, fiddling with her toys (laptop, notebook, printer, tablet, Iphone, etc), playing games on Facebook, or dictating to the workmen what she needs done on her property. Despite her seemingly busy schedule she always make time to have fun. Oh, and she is no stranger to the kitchen either. By all accounts she is considered an excellent cook. In fact one of her jokes to me is how her grandsons fusses over whose house she will stay at first when she visits the mainland because they know she will no doubt whip something up in the kitchen during her stay, i.e., red peas soup, salt fish and johnny cakes, peas and rice, etc. Personally I prefer when she stays with her grandson Germaine in Atlanta as he is the closest to me so I can always run over and grab a plate. Come to think of it, before Germaine moved to Atlanta from Savannah, my place was her hot spot – lol.

Janet V. Prince-Soto is a God-fearing, family oriented woman who prays everyday for the welfare of those she loves. She is by far an awesome, phenomenal woman whom I love and revere. Even at her age she is still vibrant and mentally sharp. Her memory is very impressive as she seems to remember the names of every student who ever came through her classroom door.  She not only remembers their name but can tell you something specific about each one of them. I get dizzy trying to keep up with her. She never ceases to amaze me with her wealth of knowledge. She is always on a quest to learn new things and is not afraid to venture into uncharted waters. I can always expect the unexpected where she is concern.  I am so very proud and honored to call her my teacher, my friend, and at times, my mother. Congratulations Ma for your many years of dedicated service to the cosmetology world and for the many, many, young women – myself included – whose lives are forever changed because of our exposure to you. Our friendship spans over 30 years, but you are and will forever be an intricate part of my family. May God continue to bless you with good health and long life.

Love always, Yáminah (Class of ’84)

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