Ruth

Kaiya Peer Support Worker

She/Her

I’ve spent a lot of my life trying to both celebrate and develop my identities as both African and African-American while balancing being a first-gen Black woman. Although these combined identities have left me with some emotional struggles, working through them has given me increased strength in not only who I am but who I am becoming. In turn, I joined Kaiya to help provide the tools for teens to truly love the person they are and the person they will be—while (of course) enjoying the journey and aspiring to their destination. Overall, I believe life is too short, but it becomes even shorter when you live for your self-doubts and fears instead of in spite of them.