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Meet our inspiring founder Latoya Johnson: Mother, entrepreneur, business development manager, real estate agent, and the founder of Village of Becoming! Latoya has committed her career to mission-driven work by being an active part of the non-profit sector for over five years, volunteering, mentoring, and sitting on the board of several non-profits - you name it, she has done it all!
Latoya has had the idea of founding a non-profit with the vision to encourage underprivileged and homeless youths to achieve their goals in her head for years - She made it official by calling VOB into life in 2021.
Having experienced similar difficulties as the young people she is helping, Latoya understands all the challenges and obstacles they face. At 16, she found herself in a situation where many young people (that age) would have capitulated. She learned what it meant to be independent, fending for her livelihood, food, and shelter while going to high school full time!
As she continued along life's journey, Latoya was fortunate enough to meet people who guided her on the right path and gave her access to resources she didn't know existed. "Good things happen to good people," - Latoya says about herself as she reflects on the mentors that helped her to become the woman she is today. Unfortunately, many youths aren't that lucky, especially those from underprivileged areas. They aren't taught financial literacy. They don't know about building credit. They don't know how to apply for college, and some don't have the resources to go to college or apply for scholarships. There are so many youths in these situations who are naturally gifted, but they need guidance and resources to become all they are meant to be. Latoya highlights that "people aren't their circumstances - if you can persevere, overcome adversity and you have somebody that can guide you or walk you through the door, your life could change, and you can become anything you want to become!"
And that's exactly what sparked the idea for founding VOB - to create a village of people with networks and resources, to give guidance that makes an impact by changing the trajectory of young people's lives, and ultimately to help give these young adults what they need to succeed in life!
We are impressed by the dedication and perseverance with which she goes through life,
inspired by her story and strength and grateful that she puts her time and energy so selflessly into creating opportunities for change and helping others!
If all people thought and acted just a little bit like Latoya, our world would be a much better place!