Sharing life's lessons at work and beyond

What would you do with an extra 120 hours?

For Kenyatta Matthews, the answer was easy. "I just wanted to help kids realize their dreams and point them in the right direction," she said. With that in mind, Matthews donated 10 to 15 hours each month during the last school year as a mentor in the YMCA's Black Achievers program.

Working with high school students in grades 9 – 12, Matthews held resumé workshops, taught interviewing and networking skills, helped with college research and explored a wide range of career choices with her kids. She also taught them the value of giving back to the community.

"The most rewarding part of my experience as a Black Achiever has been working with the kids. They have aspirations to do great things in life despite the adversities they face," she said. "They turn adversities into life lessons that will help them reach their goals."

Matthews is well aware of life's challenges through her own experience as well as those of her clients. As a Wrap Around Care supervisor for Children's Service Society of Wisconsin, Matthews and her staff of care coordinators provide a support system for families and their children with serious emotional, behavioral and mental health issues. "We help them find resources in the community and deal with challenges. Basically, we ask ourselves, 'How can we help this family and how can we normalize their lives?'" she explained.

"This is probably the most difficult job I've ever had, but I love what I do," she continued. "I love working here. Even if I had done things differently in my life, I think I would have ended up here somehow."

As a teenager, Matthews envisioned an entirely different career path. After graduating from Rufus King High School in Milwaukee, she went on to study nursing at Marquette University. During her junior year, Matthews was busy with nursing clinicals when she discovered her true passion: psychology. She changed her major and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Psychology. She later earned her master's degree in Organization Management and Leadership from Springfield College, Milwaukee campus.

At the same time, she was raising a daughter, Adrienne. "I became a mother at 16, but I was able to continue on with school, thanks to my grandmother's help," she said. Today, Adrienne is a 16-year-old Teen Black Achiever with a passion for dance and her sights set on a career as a nurse anesthetist. Like her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother – exceptionally strong women, according to Matthews – Adrienne knows the value of education and already is looking at colleges.

"I try to be a role model for what I want Adrienne to achieve in her career and in her life," Matthews said. "For me, the choices that I've made have all revolved around caring for others. From nursing to psychology to social work, and also with parenting and mentoring, I try to do the very best I can."