Meet Alaysya

“I joined Ladies of Virtue because I did not have a lot of female guidance in my life. I felt like I needed an older mother figure which I didn’t have. I definitely joined to have a mentor that understood me, to be the older mother figure, and to someone with similar interest. I also wanted a mentor that would listen to me without judgment which really pushed me to sign up.

 

LOV has really impacted the way I perceive others and the way I perceive the world. Before LOV, I really didn’t like things in my life and things about the world. It really affected how I viewed other people. After coming to LOV, I was able to find the beauty in life and the beauty in the things around me, even if I didn’t have the best upbringing. 

 

Ladies of Virtue has impacted me positively. It’s nice to be around strong women who have a clear goal in mind and go for it. It's nice to know that some have made mistakes but still come out triumphantly. 

 

I have learned a lot about myself during this time and LOV really helps you tackle what you are passionate about. It feels great to feel the love from this sisterhood. I have grown so much and it made me more clear on what I wanted in life. By being in LOV, attending all of the workshops and networking events, I’ve learned so much. My trip to the Obama Foundation brought me so many more opportunities than I could ask for. 

 

The LOV law is our biweekly affirmations to live by.  My favorite LOV law is ‘my time and money are used wisely’. This has really helped me because it helps me with time management and ability to save money for school.

 

With the help of LOV, I got my first law internship. LOV took the time out to hand pick office clothes for my internship. I have never been in an office setting or a professional setting, so for someone to come help me and show me what I needed to do made me feel more confident in my internship. By being in the program, it showed me the success I could get by putting my hard work forth and doing the best I can. 

 

We’ve done a lot of activities in LOV such as pack hygiene bags to distribute to the elderly in underserved neighborhoods. We also do mental health workshops and learn to recognize when others need help with their mental health. I attended a panel to learn more and how it affects children.

 

For the LOV leadership project, my team won first place. With our first place win, we attended a banquet hosted by the Project Management Institute.  There I got my first public speaking opportunity. It was scary but it helped me become more confident in public speaking. 

In LOV we also do a lot of college readiness and college preparation. Mentor Thee sends me new scholarships almost everyday, and it honestly makes me feel more secure to know how much money I’m going to have for college. I feel secure knowing that I could possibly come out of college debt-free because I have so many resources. My mentors wrote letters of recommendation and because of that I was accepted into my top two colleges: Northeastern University in Boston and Xavier University of Louisiana. I know I’ll have a great transition into college because I know LOV will still be here for me even after I graduate. 

 

All the mentors in LOV show love to every girl in the program. Jamila, Thee, Coach T, and Imani have been there whenever I need anything. I don’t have to be afraid to ask and I can always talk to them because I know they will listen.”