For Latrina Caldwell, walking across the stage to receive her bachelor’s degree at age 31 “meant everything”. As a single mother of two young girls, Latrina has worked hard to achieve her goals and strives to be a positive role model for her daughters and the community. “Everyone has something to give, has some talent to share” she says.
While studying for her degree in Human Services, she interned at the Tubman Alliance and met Shantel King who became her mentor and they developed a “divine friendship”. In addition to discussing work related issues, the women found they shared the same passions for community building, self-awareness, advocacy, and empowerment.
From this friendship and mentorship the women decided to turn their passions into action and the Successful Women on the Move (S.W.O.M.) social club “just came to life”. Through SWOM members can network, share their talents and expertise, and work on events that help spread awareness of issues to the community. Their first event was a breast cancer awareness event that brought in speakers to talk about preventative measures and their last event was called Living the Dream, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
When talking to Latrina and Shantel one thing is very clear, that these two women see connections, opportunities, and talents everywhere. They both share a “passion to serve, to be an inspiration to someone, to be involved in the community” and firmly believe that education is the key, that there is power in education and that “we all play an important role in lifting each other”.
Coming from a background in advocacy, Shantel has a deep knowledge of resources that exist in the community and works to connect people to these resources. Current members have backgrounds in education, life coaching, facilitation, and mental health. SWOM is open for new members and are looking for women who “want to share the vision”. Members should “be committed and positive in everything they take on. To come, share, be a part of helping the community”.
When Latrina talks about SWOM ideas just pour out of her, like a pathway to creativity and inspiration. She sums it up perfectly when she says, “If I changed one life by inspiring them, it would make me happy”.
To become a member, find out about their next even, or learn more about SWOM check out www.swomsocialclub.weebly.com or their facebook page www.facebook.com/SWOMSocialClub.
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