Power, Purpose, and Prosperity: My Journey Begins

30 January 2025

“I never thought this path would lead me here, but looking back, every challenge, every setback, and every victory was shaping me for this moment…”

Hello, my name is Renata. I’m a mom, a sister, a daughter, a Jersey girl, and someone who has had the most interesting five years… whew, let me tell you!:joy:

I love how God works. He’s got His jokes, and I appreciate them… most of the time.* :laughing: But He always has a plan, and whether I liked it or not, I was always being guided exactly where I needed to be.

Where It All Began

I started taking courses on FreeCodeCamp last year, but my love for computers actually started back in sixth grade with one of the best teachers I ever had—Mr. Thomas at Joyce Kilmer Elementary School (which they later renamed to Joyce Kilmer Intermediate School… why? No clue. :woman_shrugging:t4:). I loved working on computers, but life, as it tends to do, took me on a long, winding road before bringing me back to it.

Fast forward—I went to Iroquois Job Corps during my senior year at Trenton Central High School (T.C.H.S.), mostly because the high school vibe wasn’t it for me. Too much unnecessary fighting. Even I had to check someone in the girls’ bathroom once… she regretted that real quick! :rofl:

Life, Love, and Lessons Learned

I got married, had three amazing children, and then—happily divorced! :sparkles: I said what I said. :joy: My kids are everything to me, and I’m so honored that they chose me to be their mother. They’re out here doing big things—studying coding, CompTIA, and tech certifications—and I couldn’t be prouder.

My life has been…interesting, to say the least. I’ve had bad things happen to me, and I’ve done some bad things to myself and others. We all go through dark periods, and I definitely had mine. But through it all, God never left me.

In 2019, I had someone come into my life disguised as a friend. Spoiler alert: he wasn’t. He only cared about what me and my family could do for him. Then another one came along, even worse than the first—a fake, phony, money-flashing, insecure mess of a person who thought people couldn’t see through him, he has a Napoleon complex on top of all of his other flaws. (Sir, we see you. Loud and clear. :roll_eyes:)

Thankfully, through all of it, I’ve had my bestie. He’s been in my life forever, and I love and respect him dearly. He’s too hard on himself sometimes, but he has a beautiful heart and soul. The kind of man who actually makes the people around him want to be better—myself included. He is such a beautiful human being—inside and out. And let me tell you, he is tasty fine, okay?!:joy:

We have such a wonderful* relationship. We agree to disagree (which is so important in any relationship), and he is one of my rocks—always there with a kind, uplifting word… or a swift kick up my backside when I need it! :joy: And of course, I’m the same for him. I love him so much, and I thank God for him every single day.

My Children—My Greatest Gift

Sean, Brianna, and Charles—my Sean, Brie, and Chuckie—are my air, my lifeline, and, let’s be real… my parents at times.:joy: I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for them. They have been my greatest blessings, my biggest supporters, and the reason I push forward every single day.

I am their biggest cheerleader. We have been through some really hard times, but through it all, they have grown into the most beautiful, intelligent, witty, sarcastic, and downright brilliant human beings. Their talents and minds amaze me every day.

And I *know what you’re thinking—“Of course, she’s going to say that, she’s their mom!” But let me tell you something… if I wasn’t their mother, if they were my sister’s children or my sisters-from-another-misters, and brothers from another mother children, I would still say the exact same thing. Because it’s the truth.

I am beyond blessed that they chose me to be their mother and that they continue to allow me to be a part of their lives. Their friends are lucky to have them too, because anyone who gets to know them gets to experience the magic that I see in them every single day.

Not a day goes by—since the moment they were born—where I don’t look at them or think about them and just stand in awe of who they are and who they are becoming.

Sean, Brianna, Charles—I love you beyond words and measure. Thank you for being exactly who you are. I will love you until my last breath… but God forbid that’s anytime soon! :joy:

Brie and Chuckie have been taking excellent care of me—and trust me, they love telling me what I can and can’t do. They run a tight ship around here! :joy:

My Mother—My Greatest Blessing

I also thank God every day for my beyond amazing mother. She is the epitome of what a woman should be. No, she’s not perfect (none of us are), but she is strong, loving, and full of grace.

I have given her so much grief beyond aggravation—growing up, as a young adult, and even as an adult. And yet, through it all, she still loves me, prays for me, and always wants the best for me, my sisters, and her grandchildren. Her love for our family—and her extended family—has never wavered.

My mother was and still is a nurse at a prison—because just because she’s retired doesn’t mean she isn’t still a nurse. :yellow_heart: My sisters and I love her beyond words. And trust me, we all know better than to ever disrespect her**—because if we ever did, we wouldn’t be here today telling you this story! :joy: I’m so serious!

If someone ever offered my sisters and me millions of dollars to put hands on our mother, we would stay broke. :skull: Nope, not the kid, not happening. She is not the one—on any day.

My Sisters—My Forever Best Friends

My sisters are my heart. I wasn’t always the best sister growing up—life had me dealing with things from my childhood (nothing to do with my parents, of course), and at times, I know I wasn’t as present as I should have been.

But let me tell you something—my sisters are everything. They are beautiful, intelligent, sarcastic (so sarcastic!), stylish, and fierce. They have impeccable taste, of course—because we get it from our mother! :wink:

And speaking of our mother—she has always been the hot mom and grandma on the block. Our friends love her, and more than a few tried to become our bonus dad. Uhhhhh, no. :joy: That was never happening!

But back to my sisters—they are phenomenal. As sisters, mothers, aunts, daughters, and friends, they show up in ways that leave me in awe. The way they balance life, love, and responsibilities? Whew. Beyond words.

I actually told one of them once: **“I hope that when I grow up one day, I’ll be just like you.” And I meant it. They truly make me want to be a better person, and I would be lost without them, my children, my mom, and of course—my bestie, who I have loved forever… but that’s another story. We’ll get to that. :wink:

Why I Push So Hard

This is why I’ve been busting my hump to educate myself, get the right job, and make the money I deserve.

With all of my experience—working for DaChosen Publishing as a freelancer since 2000, all of my certifications, and my work ethic—I know I will be blessed with a job that I love. A job with a company that values:
:heavy_check_mark: Work-life balance
:heavy_check_mark: Respect for employees and their families
:heavy_check_mark: Paying people what they’re worth
:heavy_check_mark: Making a real impact in the world

And when I get that job? I will **continue to do what I do best—**take care of my family. All of them.

I love my children, sisters, mother, nieces, nephews, and my extended family—like my bestie and his family, and my sisters-from-other-mothers: my Chell, Aretha, and last but never least, my Bon-Bon. Their husbands and significant others are also my family.

I have a tight circle, and we are family for life.

Finding My Way Back

God has always had me on a path, even when I kept stepping off it. There were times I just knew He was going to give up on me and leave me to the devil. Honestly, I wouldn’t have blamed Him. I’ve hurt myself. I’ve hurt people. I’ve made mistakes. But of course, God never left me. Instead, He put me through exactly what I needed to go through to bring me here.

I’ve spent the past year working on myself, repenting, learning, crying (a lot!), and staying steadfast in prayer. I’ve always prayed—good times, bad times, indifferent times—but last year, things really changed.

October 2024: The Year of Transformation

In August 2024, I had my first spinal surgery. Shoutout to my amazing doctors-Dr. Charles Opalak, Dr. Christian, and the entire team at Prisma Health Southeastern Neurosurgical and Spine Institute in Greenville, SC. Then in December, I went back for my next spinal surgery.

New Year’s Eve? Back in the hospital. This time, I had staff infection and a spinal leak and ended up staying for two weeks and three days. Happy New Year to me!* :sweat_smile: But through it all, the 3rd floor staff at Greenville Memorial Hospital took such good care of me. And when we lost our sister Veronica on January 5th, the day after my dad’s birthday and his 9-year death anniversary, they were there for me. Dr. Opalak’s daughter even made me a sympathy card. :face_holding_back_tears: (I still owe her a hug and a gift… but first, we have to fight because she made me cry!:joy:)

The Wake-Up Call

During my hospital stay, something hit me. Hard. I was walking (like I was supposed to—because blood clots? No, ma’am!) when a thought popped into my head:

“Hey dummy, God gave you all this time off, and what have you done with it? Except cause grief and aggravation?”

I knew right then it was time to get my life together once and for all.

I started searching for free courses. That’s when I found Alison Learning, Microsoft Learn, IBM SkillsBuild, and FreeCodeCamp.(Shoutout to my career coach Jess for telling me about it—I should’ve listened to her sooner!) From that moment on, I was locked in.

I’ve been on this laptop non-stop (don’t worry, I walk and sleep like I’m supposed to! :joy:), and somewhere along the way, I dropped from 209 lbs to 170 lbs. Apparently, getting your education on is a weight loss plan! Who knew?! :rofl:

What’s Next?

Now, I’m stacking certifications in Project Management, Web Design, AI, Cloud Computing, and more. And on February 27th, I have my left hip surgery—meaning soon, I’ll be able to do the stanky leg again and drop it like it’s hot! :joy:

I’m beyond grateful to FreeCodeCamp, Google, Cisco, LinkedIn Learning, and everyone who has helped me grow. And of course, to my wonderful family and God—for never giving up on me, even when I gave up on myself.

This is just the beginning. Power, Purpose, and Prosperity is my journey, and I’m sharing it with all of you.

Final Closing Line (Just for You! :yellow_heart:)

I thank you for taking the time to read this. I know it’s a lot—I’ve been carrying this for a long time, as you’ll come to learn in time.

Remember: Live, Laugh, and Love—EVERY day.:yellow_heart::sparkles:

3 Likes

Hey Nata, thank you for sharing your journey so far, and in such a enthusiastic fashion.

You strike me as someone who’s extremely resilient. Keep pushing forward toward your goals.

1 Like

31 January 2025

Hi Quincy,

Wow. Just… wow. I don’t even know where to begin. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story and reply I’m honestly still in shock. Your words mean more to me than you’ll ever know.

FreeCodeCamp has been a lifeline for me. It’s given me purpose, knowledge, and a renewed sense of direction when I needed it the most. The way you’ve built this platform to uplift and educate people like me it’s beyond inspiring.

You called me resilient, and that hit deep. Because there were days I didn’t feel like I was. Days when I thought I wasn’t going to make it through. But here I am still pushing, still learning, still striving. And now, with this encouragement, I feel even more motivated to keep going, keep growing, and keep reaching for everything I know I deserve.

Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart. I will continue to push forward toward my goals, no matter what. :yellow_heart:

P.S. Thank you for suggesting that I share my story in the first place. I wasn’t sure if anyone would even read it, but now I see just how important it was to put it out there. I appreciate you more than words can say. :pray:t4:

With Gratitude,
Renata

1 Like