Independently Raised

About the Book

Growing up in an economically disadvantaged environment, with divorced parents created a challenge as a child. From moving constantly, to losing her virginity in middle school, to becoming a teen mom, life just wasn’t easy. Being raised by a single struggling mom and becoming a single struggling mom at age 15, created many painful moments. Experiencing life without a father in the home and having a working mom, left a void that resulted in raising her own self. Without proper guidance, bad decisions were made especially in regard to men. From failure in every relationship from friendships, marriage, and even complications with family members, it was easy to feel neglected and forgotten. Nothing is better when all that negativity is turned into positivity. The only way to do so is to work on your inner self, face the truth, weather the storm, and learn to love yourself. The best outcome in life is becoming successful when you are underestimated. However, to get there, you must deal with some unwanted, unrevealed truths even if it hurts.

About the Author

Dr. Erika Jones was born on the south side of Chicago. Throughout her childhood, she moved around a lot living in mostly the south suburbs. She became a mom at the early age of 16. Being a teen mom motivated her to push for success. She skipped a grade in high school going from a sophomore to a senior and went straight to college. She received her Bachelors of Art in 2007, her Master’s in Public Administration in 2009, and her Ph.D. in Public Policy & Administration in 2018. She is raising 3 beautiful girls. She spends her spare time advocating for social justice, writing, and reading books. Her career of choice is Finance/School Administration and has been for the last decade.