Demecia Wooten-Irizarry:  

Biographical Statement In high school, my practical side thought I'd be a lawyer. It was a way to combat injustice, discrimination and racism. I wanted to make a difference in the world. After working as the Chief of Staff of an elected State Representative, my health forced me to leave the workforce. I began the process of rehabilitation until I was well enough to work part-time. Before that I was a Vice President in a non-profit organization for ten years. There I designed and coordinated public education programs in order to decrease stigma and increase public understanding and acceptance of people with psychiatric and developmental disabilities. In my own way, I am still working to improve the life of those individuals who have experienced bias. Although I never attended law school, I eventually obtained two advanced degree--one in Public Administration (MPA) and the other in Social Work (MSW). Education has always been a very important part of my life. During my years in high school I was always miserable. I did not feel pretty, part of the in-crowd, or particularly bright--although I knew if I worked harder I could do much better. At the time, I was just satisfied to be a "B" student. I did not want to stand out to much. Today, I know that, even then, I suffered from major depression--and like many African-American woman, I chose to deal with whatever difficulties I had by myself. But, I have learned that those years were milestones in my life. I had to go through whatever I went through in order to be who I am today. After high school, I got married right away. I got pregnant five days before my graduation. I have a beautiful and handsome son, whom I love dearly, but my marria...Expand for more