Hailley Ndubizu

Why continuing an education is so important to her:

“I will be a first generation college student as neither of my parents were able to attend college following high school and receive a degree. I want to be the educational role model for my younger brother, which my parents were unable to be for me. I need to be the beckon of light for him that he will be able to follow and know the importance of higher education. I love learning and I’ve found that learning and growing in knowledge is a passion of mine. I’ve learned that learning is power and without an education I will be an unfulfilled vessel.”

Hailley proudly supports:

Hailley was very active in the Associate Student Body, and was President of her senior class, in high school. She was an active member of Junior Statesmen of America (JSA.Org) jsa.org attending seminars and meetings and taking part in panel discussions about our current government and social issues. She played on her high school soccer team and humbly served as team co-captain.

Hailley’s community work includes:

AARP: Hailley volunteered as a Tax Aid Greeter for the past 3 years. AARP provides a free tax service for seniors and her duties as greeter were to check in appointments and assist clients in filling in the initial intake forms necessary to complete their tax return and assign them to the most qualified certified tax preparer.

Kirkland Academy of Excellence in Watts, CA: Hailley volunteered as a mentor and understudy after school and summer mornings for the past two years. There she discovered a strong interest in becoming a teacher and that she has a natural ability to guide, connect and educate young children.

She is actively involved in a Christian group of young women “Faithful after Phoebe” who fashioned themselves after Phoebe in the Bible that assisted the missionary society by visiting nursing homes and senior centers throughout the Inglewood CA area.

Hailley, what does the term “Golden Women” mean to you?

“The term “Golden Women” seems to connect me to my high school alma matter “Women of Distinction.” In a sense they are very much alike, women who exemplify love, passion, empathy and class. A woman of distinction much like a “Golden Woman” is an amazing woman, she is every woman and she is a monument of success and strength. She does not fall short of her responsibilities and she carries herself well. “Golden Women” to me means women who enlighten, encourage, empower and strengthen one another. I am a “Women of Distinction” from my four years at St. Mary’s Academy and from my time there I have grown into a responsible, self assured and tenacious women, which I would consider attributes of “Golden Women.”

Hailley, describe something that is plaguing young women today and explain what can be done to turn it around? What can you do to help?

“The pregnancy of young girls/women with absent or young fathers that have little to no education is one of the most prominent problems I see today. It appears to be acceptable to the young women to go through pregnancy alone or even get pregnant at young age. I come from a family where my great grandmother started having children in her preteens, my grandmother had my mother at a young age and many of my aunts and cousins followed in the same footsteps. I have noticed because my mother waited to have her family my older sister and I have no desire to have children at our current age. It is an ongoing trend that I see within my community that teen pregnancy breeds teen pregnancy and unfortunately most teen parents can’t further their education and they become stuck. Television shows such as “Teen Mom” promotes teen pregnancy and almost glorifies it for younger girls.

We need more positive women willing to give their time to bring groups together in our communities focusing on self esteem, education and being all that we can be. Young women need to be made aware that the media portrayal of women is not real but more fantasy than reality. Education needs to be made more available and affordable for those that have made a mistake and need to take their lives back. We really need more means to support education and vocational training so that young women can feel empowered not hopeless and helpless. We need to see more educators on TV with positive messages and the means to back up that positive message. We just can’t continue to say education is the key without the means to get that education. Proper funding needs to available to make this happen.”