Joniqua Wade

I attribute my success to my faith in God and my refusal to give up, even when I lost everything. When I became homeless after confronting my family about the abuse, I held onto God and told myself that my life was not going to stay like that. People thought I was crazy because even when I was going through it, I kept saying my life is not about to stay like this - I just refused. I never turned to drugs or prostitution even though I was around it and had opportunities. Instead, I got two jobs and worked really hard, worked on my credit, and slowly built myself back up. I believe in God, and that is what got me through a lot of things. Even when everything fell apart, I just held on to God. Now when I get to the point where I'm at, I can look at those kids and say you don't have to sell your body, you don't have to turn to drugs, just hold on and work hard, you'll get through it. The beautiful thing about being born into poverty and trauma is that I can relate to people all across the board now, and I would never forget where I came from or get to a point where I'm bougie.

The best advice I received came from my godfather, Linderrell Webb, who became my mentor after I stood up for a little girl being abused during a test drive at the car dealership where we worked. He reinforced in me that doing the right thing is a good thing and to stay grounded in faith. But he didn't just pray for me - he brought me food when I was hungry, medicine when I was sick, and when my life shattered and I was homeless and being poisoned, he opened up his home to me for six months until I got back on my feet. He groomed me into the young lady I wanted to be, giving me advice on everything from how I carried myself to the boys I was dealing with. He helped me refine my rough edges, like when I used to curse a lot. He was never inappropriate with me, never disrespected me, never made me feel uncomfortable - he was just consistently there for me from that first incident. He taught me that I don't think just praying for people is enough, especially when you have the resources to help them. You have to take action.

The most important values to me are protecting children and being a voice for those who cannot protect themselves. There's actually a scripture about advocating for children and widows, and that's a big reason I do what I do - because children cannot protect themselves. I work towards protecting children and spreading awareness about looking for the signs of abuse and why you should say something if you see it. I literally would do anything to protect children. When that little girl at the dealership was being abused, I gave her my number and told her it wasn't her fault, that there are bad people who do bad things for no reason, but she shouldn't let them take the sweetness and beauty inside of her. I've never changed my number in case she needs me. I also value authenticity and staying true to where I came from. I would never forget what I went through or get to a point where I'm bougie. I can relate to people down low because I've been there, and I can also help at higher levels to get funding for organizations. My faith in God is central to everything - it's what carried me through losing everything and keeps me grounded in doing the right thing even when it costs me.