Lorraine Jackson

My success comes from my husband’s support, my determination to chase my goals, and my love for creativity, learning, and helping others. By staying adaptable and dedicated, I’ve been able to inspire others to keep going and remain strong.

It is perfectly normal to be uncertain about your life’s direction at first. Gaining a clear understanding of who you are and where you wish to focus your efforts for the long term can often take several years of reflection and experience.

I encourage young women to always be themselves, recognizing that the journey may be challenging but ultimately it will be rewarding. Persevere even in moments of discouragement, be courageous in pursuing their passions, while remaining adaptable. Most importantly, understand that their definition of success may differ from others, and that it is okay to be an employee while still being a creative individual who delivers impactful products or services.

As an Educator: The biggest challenges in the early childhood education system are the lack of recognition as educators; we set the foundation for all learning but are often viewed as "glorified babysitters". This stigma has led to a misunderstanding between an Early Childhood Education Center or a Childcare Program/Day Care. There are loving people in both industries but there is a difference between programs that educate children starting from infancy through preschool age through both social/emotional and academic lessons and those programs that are play based centered around the social aspect but often leaving out the educational peace. While we need both, and this is no discount to day care programs an early childhood educator is one who has taken courses, earned either an associate or higher-level degree in early childhood education and creates atmospheres for learning and playing. Connecting this to the lack of recognition ~~ being an early childhood educator is one of the most under paid professions out there but yet, in order for most to gain employment as such (with a higher paying programs) you have to have not only experience but also education. An education that the average salary in the industry does not pay enough to warrant the expense it carries.

As a writer: the biggest challenge is trying to get your work out to the masses to gain readership, sales and support. Traditional publishing is very hard to get into and there are not too many publishing companies out there who take open inquiries without and agent thus making it financially difficult to break into the big scene of book publishing. Self-publishing is much bigger today than ever before but due to that and social media it is hard to make your presence known as a writer because it is saturated, thus making it hard to be seen. This in turn requires the self-publisher to work to get their books featured in local bookstores, pay for expos to participate in thus requiring the purchase of print copies to have on hand and spending time and often money to promote themselves on social media platforms. While there are benefits and often times positive outcomes to doing these things it can also be challenging for those who may not be able to afford to do so.

I value integrity, creativity, dedication, and empathy. These principles shape my work with children, my mentorship, and my artistic and literary pursuits.