CHULA VISTA (KGTV) — Nikki White is greeted with love at the Umoja Learning Community in Southwestern College. Her friends rush to hug her when she walks into the room. But it didn't used to be this way.
“I didn’t really have friends and stuff like that,” White said.
Nikki grew up near Anaheim, in a neighborhood and foster family where no one looked like her. She says her high school classmates, bullied her for her differences.
“I used to wear my hair in a really big afro and people would say certain things.”
A few years later, she ended up in a bad relationship. But says it gave her the greatest gift: her daughter named energy. Becoming a mom motivated her to turn her life around and enroll in classes at Southwestern.
“I'm assuming there’s also a connection with your mom, not having her growing up, and you just want to be there for your child in a different way.”
“It’s super important because if nobody breaks that, if everybody starts doing the same thing in the family, we’re never going to get anywhere. We’ve already been put behind. Somebody has to do the healing work.”
Nikki says the Umoja Learning Community gave her the resources to succeed. The program is dedicated to the growth and success of African American students. It connected her to other students of color in her classes and gave her a platform to lead student workshops on educational growth.
“Being here it allows me to tell my story to speak my truth and live in my passion.”
Umoja also introduced Nikki to important scholarships and sponsored tours of historically black colleges.
“To see somebody that looks like you is representation. It makes you want to do the same thing so when you get to that position you can help other people too.”
She hopes to transfer to SDSU in the Fall, and eventually be a high school teacher. Becoming the mentor she never had.
