Her Story
About Velma
My professional journey has been driven by a passion for helping others overcome barriers and rebuild their lives. I spent about 7 years in education at a college, where I worked with Accessibility Services helping adults and younger students who struggled with subjects like math or reading comprehension pass their prerequisites. I also served as a face of the college for marketing, representing older adults returning to school. Before my time in education, I worked for the city of St. Petersburg as a hands-on administrator, where I ran the N Team (Neighborhood Team), a program using volunteer inmates to help people in poor neighborhoods with home repairs like retaining walls and minor woodworking. Under Mayor Rick Baker's support, I expanded this into a comprehensive re-entry program, teaching resume writing, interviewing skills, and connecting participants with clothing to prepare them for the workforce. This work earned me awards both locally and in Nashville, and I'm most proud that my recidivism rate was much less than 10%. Now retired, I'm pursuing my JD in constitutional law, maintaining a 3.72 GPA after already earning my MS in criminal justice. My ultimate goal is to establish a community re-entry program for individuals leaving the prison system, giving them the skills and support they need to successfully reintegrate into society. I also volunteer at food banks and mentor at elementary schools, because I believe in being present at the door when people need help the most.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Velma
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my faith and my parents. My faith has been so strong throughout everything I've been through, and it's what keeps me grounded. My parents raised me with values that have guided me my entire life. My dad especially would sit down and have conversations with me, sharing wisdom that I didn't always appreciate at the time but now, past [AGE], I look back and wish I had paid more attention to those little things he shared with me. He never raised his voice, never yelled or screamed, and he taught me important lessons about accountability and listening. He would always ask me what part I played in any situation, which taught me to pay attention and avoid gossip in my professional life. My mom was also instrumental in building my faith. Together, my faith and my parents' support have been the foundation of everything I've accomplished.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I ever received came from a lady I worked with who became a great associate. I had spent the first 10 years of my son's incarceration fighting for his freedom, and I was closed off, balled up with a lot of anger. I never talked about my son with anyone. This lady noticed something was troubling me and asked me to talk about it. When I finally opened up to her, she grabbed both my hands and stretched my fingers out. When I asked why she did that, she said it was because whenever she talked to me or saw me, I had a tendency to cut my fist, to ball up my fist. She told me I needed to unball my fist. Then she said what I needed to do was find a way to let go, by any means necessary. If I believed in God, I needed to pray to let go of that anger so I could see what He has in front of me. That was my first step, and when I finally let go, I found that emotions don't play a part in the same way anymore. Do I get frustrated occasionally? Absolutely. But my faith is so strong now, and that advice to let go changed everything for me.
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