I owned a black canvas bag that had a thought-provoking inscription. ‘Educate a woman and you educate a nation!’ The lettering was hand-painted across the front beneath a silhouette of a woman’s face with African features. The wise father of a close friend gave me the bag. Although, I carried the bag with pride for years, I was in my early forties before I understood the importance of an undergraduate education.
As I child, I was fun-loving, bright and fearless. I had no inhibitions when it came to my genius. I loved learning. I excelled in the classroom until I entered high school.
I was knocked off course and for years delayed pursuing my undergraduate education. In 1991, I recalibrated and reentered Georgia State University. After caring for my family, working two jobs and carrying a full course load, I graduated five years later.
The book is a compilation of short essays about the challenges I faced inside and outside of classroom. I joined the Technology Revolution in the ‘90s which changed my career trajectory.
I wrote this memoir to share how I reclaimed my genius and became the person I was meant to be.
Bea Clark is an entrepreneur, IT Consultant, career transformation strategist, and writer, residing in Atlanta, Georgia.
(Photo taken at the Women in Technology (WIT) Campus closing event with students from colleges and universities across Georgia. Bea is an education advocate and served as the WIT – Georgia State University (GSU) Campus Advisor).
“I wore elephants to the Women in Technology (WIT) closing event held on April 20, 2018 at the Mercedes Benz, USA headquarters. For the young women the organization serves, it symbolizes the matriarchs who impart wisdom, provide advice, show compassion and exhibit strength in leadership for the herd.