Aiesha, is a 1996 graduate of New Iberia Senior High School, located in New Iberia, Louisiana. In April of 1997, I decided to join the U.S. Army. I completed Basic Training at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina. Upon completing Basic Training, I attended Food Service Specialist School at Fort Lee, Virginia, in July of 1997. Once I completed Culinary Arts school in August 1997, I relocated to Ft. Hood, Texas, to complete my tour. I served as a Food Service Specialist with the 4th I.D. Division where I completed three years of active duty and was later married in November 1998. I received an Honorable Discharge and joined the U.S. Army Reserve. I traveled the world from Miami, FL to Jacksonville, FL, and later had my first daughter and moved back to New Iberia La.

I then attended the University of Phoenix in Lafayette, La, and finished off in Ft. Benning, GA., during a stateside deployment. I graduated in 2010, with my Bachelor’s in Business Management. The most challenging part of this experience for me has been the balancing of being a single parent. Working full-time, training with the military without my three beautiful daughters, ages 18, 9, and 5 years old, is hard. But, all in all, I have found ways to make it work.

I have been working with the public for a very long time. I was working with the elderly at IBC Group as a case manager. I have been working with Head Start since 2011 as a Family Worker. My job consists of working with children and families, helping families with day-to- day situations. Assist parents with community referrals and educational decisions. Also worked with teachers and parents on finding ways to help kids progress, grow, and learn how to become independent in what they do. I felt limited when assisting families; therefore, I pursued my master’s in social work. In my goal of obtaining my Master of Social Work (MSW)-I planned to work with kids. I genuinely feel helping kids at a younger age; you can attack a situation early. I continue to explore my options if I cannot obtain a position at that time.

In my spare time, I exercise all the time. Being a single parent, working a full-time job relieves a lot of stress. I love speaking about nutrition; I have a passion for helping people reach their goals. I am a youth assistant leader at my church, I am a part of a few organizations, and there is always a question. “What is your WHY”? Well, my why is about being an advocate for the community.

Ms. Aiesha