Lorraine Jackson

I credit my success to the support of my husband, my determination to keep working toward my goals, and my passion for creativity, education, and serving others. Embracing adaptability and dedication has allowed me to inspire people of all ages through arts, movement, and mentoring.

It is okay to not know what you want to be in life right away. Sometimes it takes several years to really understand who you are and what you want to put your energy into for the long term.

I would encourage young women to "always be yourself". Understand the road may be tough but rewarding, so push through even when they get discouraged. Pursue their passions with courage, remain adaptable, and understand what they see as success may not look like everyone else's version of success, and that it is okay to be an employee and STILL be a creative being who produces impactful product 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.