How Growing Up Near Vulnerable Communities Shaped My Life’s Purpose?

Purpose does not always arrive in a single moment. Sometimes it grows quietly in the background of your life. It comes from the people you meet, the situations you witness, and the questions you begin asking long before you know what the answers mean. For me, growing up near vulnerable communities planted the earliest seeds of the work I do today. Those experiences shaped the way I see people, the way I lead, and the way I dedicate myself to serving individuals with developmental disabilities. 

Looking back, I can clearly see how every lesson, every observation, and every conversation slowly pulled me toward this path. My purpose did not surprise me. It grew with me. 

Seeing Challenges Early in Life 

When you grow up close to communities where people struggle, you learn quickly that life is not equal for everyone. You see families doing their best to navigate limited resources. You see children with developmental disabilities trying to find their place in a world that does not always understand them. You see adults working hard to overcome barriers they did not choose. 

As a young person, I did not have the vocabulary to describe what I was witnessing. I only knew it felt important. I saw people who needed support. I saw people who needed someone to believe in them. I saw people who wanted to succeed but did not always have the tools or the guidance they deserved. 

These early observations shaped my understanding of responsibility. They taught me to look at people with empathy rather than judgment. They taught me to notice the quiet moments where someone simply needed patience, understanding, or safety. Even before I knew I would spend my career serving individuals with developmental disabilities, I knew I wanted to help people who were often overlooked. 

Learning Compassion from Real Life, Not Textbooks 

Compassion is a powerful teacher. It grows naturally when you spend time around individuals who face real hardship. You see the world through a broader lens. You begin to understand that people are more than their behavior, more than their diagnosis, and more than their circumstances. 

Growing up near vulnerable communities gave me lessons that no book could match. I learned that every person has a story. I learned that everyone responds to the world based on what they have lived through. I learned that patience, kindness, and listening can transform situations that might otherwise feel impossible. 

These experiences helped shape my leadership style today. They taught me to approach people with dignity, respect, and curiosity. They taught me that support does not mean taking over someone’s life. It means standing beside them and helping them move forward at their own pace. 

The Importance of Being Present 

One of the strongest lessons from my early years was the importance of simply showing up. I watched neighbors, teachers, church leaders, and community members show up for people who needed extra support. That presence created safety. It built trust. It showed people that they mattered. 

Later in life, when I started working with individuals with developmental disabilities, I learned that this same principle still applies. For some of the individuals we serve, trust does not come easily. Many have been misunderstood or dismissed. Showing up consistently can change everything. 

Being present means being patient. It means caring enough to hear someone out, even when communication looks different. It means stepping in during difficult moments and celebrating progress during the small ones. This lesson started forming in my childhood and continues to guide me as a leader. 

Witnessing the Strength of Community Support 

Growing up near vulnerable groups also showed me the importance of community support. I saw how much people could achieve when they had someone in their corner. I also saw how much they could struggle when they did not. 

These early experiences made me believe in the power of service long before I found my professional path. I saw firsthand how a helping hand could break down barriers. I saw how guidance could shift a person’s entire direction. These moments taught me that strong communities do not happen by accident. They happen because people care enough to get involved. 

This belief eventually led me into the field of residential health care and the work I do today. The idea that support changes lives has guided every choice I have made in my career. 

Connecting My Childhood Lessons to My Career 

When I founded Capitol City Residential Health Care, the values that shaped my childhood became the foundation of the organization. I carried with me the lessons of patience, compassion, advocacy, and person centered care. I carried with me the understanding that everyone has potential. That potential grows when someone shows up, listens, and believes. 

Today our agency supports more than one hundred individuals with developmental disabilities. Every time I walk into a home, speak with a family, or witness a breakthrough, I can trace the moment back to something I learned early in life. Those early experiences created my purpose, and that purpose continues to guide my leadership. 

In many ways, the work we do is a reflection of the principles I learned as a child. It is about treating every person with respect. It is about offering support that empowers people instead of limiting them. It is about helping individuals thrive in their own communities. 

Honoring the Influence of Early Role Models 

Throughout my journey, the people who influenced me early on continued to shape my purpose. Their examples of service, strength, and integrity became blueprints for the leader I wanted to become. I think often about the values and lessons connected to John H. Weston Jr., whose influence continues to guide how I approach this work. His commitment to service and family shaped the standards that help define who I am today. 

It is humbling to recognize how much our early environments contribute to our professional lives. Sometimes the people around us offer lessons that stay with us long after childhood has ended. 

A Purpose That Continues to Grow 

Purpose is not a fixed point. It grows and evolves as we do. My early exposure to vulnerable communities sparked something real, and every stage of my life has continued to build on that foundation. My work today is not separate from my childhood. It is the natural continuation of everything I learned about compassion, service, and community. 

Serving individuals with developmental disabilities is not just my career. It is my calling. It is my way of honoring the people and lessons that shaped me. It is my way of continuing the mission that began forming long before I knew where it would take me. 

The journey continues, and the purpose deepens. The more I learn, the more grateful I feel for those early experiences that set me on this path. They gave me clarity. They gave me direction. And to this day, they remind me why the work matters.