Tierra Lyles

First and foremost, I would say God. I also have a strong support system, which is incredibly important because I am a single mom of three children. I have a lot of support with helping me raise my kids and with my accomplishments as well. I'm in school now, so I have help getting through that too. I also want to attribute my success to my church - specifically my pastor and first lady, William Matea Robinson. When I went through abuse and my ex-husband broke my femur so I couldn't walk for like a year, my church came together. They prayed for me, helped me with my children, made sure I had groceries in my home, and did so much more. They continue to do so much for me. If they don't hear from me at church or if I'm going through something, they're calling and checking on me, figuring out how they can help me. When I moved into my new house, they came and blessed my home. There are so many other things they've done. They don't have to do that - there are so many other people that go to that church - but to see me, little ol' me, and to want to help and be there for me, I really appreciate that.

To never stop learning. I think that's the biggest one, just to have the mindset of always wanting to learn and always wanting to discover. I think that's the best career advice. This advice came from Miss Carol Ray Holmes, a mentor I met when I was at the nonprofit where I taught a class with her. She is a Microsoft-certified trainer with over 50 certifications. She went through some of the things I went through, like being a single mom, being divorced, and dealing with abuse in her marriage. To see her overcome and make something for herself - she's an MCT, which essentially means she owns her own business doing independent contract work, and she does really well with it. She doesn't stop - she's still getting certifications, now she's in AI. We do not see many people of her generation in AI - they're scared of AI - but to see her really putting herself out there, teaching those classes, and she even created an app. I hope I can do that when I'm her age.

I would say to stay true to yourself and never give up. I know that might sound cliche, but when you come from my background and you go through the things I go through, a lot of people give up. Especially when you're making a life for yourself on your own and you've gone through abuse, you've gone through people telling you you can't do this, you can't do that, you're not worth anything. But you know that there's something worth living for, and there's plenty here on Earth that you can and will do. Staying true to that and keep pushing and not giving up - I think that is something, if you stay true to it, it will help you get through so much, and you can accomplish more than what you ever thought you could accomplish.

There are some people with a certain mindset, especially in the education field where I'm at. Sometimes you have people that don't believe in themselves, and sometimes you can believe in someone more than they believe in themselves. That can be very challenging, but also rewarding as well. But I think the biggest part is when a person doesn't believe in themselves and just trying to push them - that can be kind of challenging.

For me, making a difference and doing things in the spirit of excellence. I don't want to just complete school or just do something good at my job. I want to really make a difference, and with school, I want to be at the top of my class. I don't want to just pass things. It's very important to me to make a difference and then stand out with my academic success - not necessarily outshine anyone, but I want to just stand out with my academic success.