My name is Tiara Christopher, and I’m here to share my journey of survival and resilience. I want to encourage you with my story and show you that it is possible to overcome anything and become everything!

In 2019, the US Census Bureau reported the average African American household income was $43,000. Let’s break that down: $43,000 a year is less than $4,000 a month. With the rising costs of housing, gas, and food, compounded by the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s a harsh reality. African Americans often find themselves “trying to make a dollar out of 15 cents.” Meanwhile, only 2% of African Americans make over $1 million a year, according to Black Enterprise. The disparity is stark, prompting the question: “How do we go from $43,000 a year to $1 million a year?”

I’m proud to be the first in my family to attend and graduate from a university, earning summa cum laude honors and three degrees in speech and rhetoric, communication, and psychology. Education was my refuge and weapon against adversity. It empowered me to transform my pain into purpose and rise above the financial barriers that plague many African Americans.

One day, I will be a billionaire because I believe I’ve endured billion-dollar pain. Until that day, let me tell you how I climbed out of the mud, overcame severe trauma, broke societal barriers, and became my own boss. Today, I am a serial entrepreneur, trauma specialist, certified yoga instructor, motivational speaker, author, research analyst, and volunteer.

My life has been a series of temporary inconveniences, which were blessings disguised as problems. Before I tell you more about where I am going, I’d like to paint a picture of endless possibilities. Through my story, I want you to feel empowered by what I’ve been through and where I’m going. By the end of this speech, I hope you know that you too can achieve your goals.

I am a product of the Bay Area foster care system, which often fails to help its youth overcome the challenges of inadequate family support. A dysfunctional family environment makes it hard for a child to become a mature adult. My favorite writer, Dr. Maya Angelou, spoke of having many rainbows in her clouds—people who acted as her sunshine during life’s storms. My first rainbow was my amazing older sister, Lonisha Armstrong, who acted as my caregiver throughout my life. Our relationship was once dysfunctional, but now I see she was doing her best to protect me. Lonisha, I wouldn’t be here without you. I love you, and I’ll be your sister for life.

My second rainbow was my 9th grade English teacher, Margo Rudd. When I acted out in her class, she called my biological mother, who responded, “Don’t call me about Tiara’s behavior anymore; just call the police on her!” Ms. Rudd relayed this conversation to me and said, “I’ll never call your mother again.” She told my other teachers to send me to her if they had problems with me, and they did, including the principal. Ms. Rudd gave me special attention, took me to museums and art galleries, and had lunch with me weekly. She noticed my prolific writing abilities and nurtured them, giving me culture, history, and a craft for writing.

My third rainbow was my fourth social worker, Elizabeth Phillips, who helped me break past the family barriers that plagued my life. She introduced God and the value of education into my life, presenting possibilities I never thought I’d have. Elizabeth Phillips was the first Christian I encountered who was not a hypocrite; she brought God into my life on a level no one ever had. When I met Phillips at sixteen, I planned to attend the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) in L.A., but I had no plan of action. Unexpectedly, I had to drop out of high school three months before graduation. Phillips enrolled me in the best community college in our area, Diablo Valley College (DVC). I commuted four hours daily on public transportation from my group home, using that time to study, annotate, and practice public speaking. I committed to being absolutely excellent for Phillips.

While in foster care, I was blessed with my fourth rainbow, MJ (known to me as Lesha). She protected me from the physical abuse I faced before she arrived. Blood wouldn’t make us any closer; she became my sister and a rainbow of sunshine in my life.

I graduated from DVC with honors, a debate team member, and a variety of scholarships, which helped me get accepted into five universities. When I chose UNLV, Phillips gave me a check to ensure my financial situation wouldn’t hinder my opportunity to attend a university. I attribute my academic success to Elizabeth Phillips. She saw life in me when I only saw death. One of my favorite motivational speakers, Les Brown, says, “No one rises above low expectations.” Phillips set the bar high, and I was desperate to prove her right. To thank her, I named my daughter Elizabeth after her.

But then, on September 3, 2022, my life took an unexpected and drastic turn. While visiting my in-laws, an argument with my partner escalated to a point where he said, “That’s why your own mother doesn’t love you.” His words ringing true to me and overcome with emotion, I punched him. The police were called, and in a desperate attempt to protect myself and my nine-month-old daughter, I drove away. Less than a mile from his parents’ house, four police cars pulled me over. I was accused of driving a stolen car and driving under the influence. Despite blowing 0.0 on three breathalyzer tests and presenting my registration and medical marijuana card, I was arrested for assault, domestic violence in the presence of a child, and possession of marijuana and paraphernalia.

In a predominantly white small town, I faced intense racism and hostility while incarcerated. I spent three excruciating days in jail, constantly worrying about my breastfed baby who had never been apart from me. My life had shifted from that of a successful business owner to someone unsure of survival.

Upon my release, I discovered that my partner had placed a restraining order on me against him and our baby. He had also emptied my bank account, leaving me with just $1.13—barely enough to buy two frozen burritos from Walmart. He canceled our lease, rendering me homeless. I lost weight dramatically, going from 120 lbs to 90 lbs in those three days. Yet, I was grateful that God didn’t allow me to start completely from scratch. I had a car to sleep in, an educated and determined mindset, and the survival skills I learned in foster care.

For five months, I lived out of my car, occasionally staying in Airbnb rentals. I panhandled for food, often sitting in front of fast-food restaurants until someone offered to buy me a meal. This was a new low for me; it was also one of the coldest winters of my life! I found myself sometimes having to defecate outside. Despite these relentless challenges, I found strength in God and support from some family members. My journey was fraught with suffering, but I emerged stronger, determined to turn my pain into purpose and show my daughter the power of resilience.

I fought a tough battle for custody of my child. Despite the fact that my child’s father had kidnapped our daughter, he faced no jail time, a stark reminder of the racial injustices deeply embedded in our judicial system. Backed by his wealthy, white privileged family, he won 70% physical custody while we shared 50/50 legal custody. This was a devastating blow, but knowing I would still be part of my daughter’s life helped me regain my strength.

I turned my pain into purpose. I became a certified yoga instructor, author, a research analyst, a trauma specialist, and completed a degree in psychology. My journey was filled with suffering, but I emerged stronger. I want my daughter to see that I didn’t just sit with my tail tucked between my legs—I evolved. And I’m going to continue to evolve until the wheels fall off so that my daughter will know the pain she felt being ripped from my breast was not in vain. This experience tried to break me and destroy everything I had accomplished prior, but I didn’t break—I bent and grew stronger.

I am continuing my pursuit of absolute excellence by being a serial entrepreneur. My first memoir is called, “Impossible” because there are two words in the word “IMPOSSIBLE”. The first word is, “IM” & the second is, “POSSIBLE”. I intend to show my audience how I took a negative word such as impossible and made something positive out of it; reaffirming that I AM POSSIBLE. It is possible to overcome anything and become everything! I am living proof. I handed my worries to God, and he is showing out for me. I know God didn’t bring me this far to ONLY BRING ME THIS FAR! I know God will never let me down. I KNOW I WILL NEVER LET ME DOWN. It is possible for all of us to turn our losses into wins.

I am inspired to keep going because I have a vision of absolute excellence. I want to create generational wealth for my daughter, Elizabeth. A legacy, so she has a place to call home. A place of unlimited resources and unconditional love. I am creating stability and security for my daughter—two things I have desperately needed but never had. Seeking stability and security has helped me break beyond the barriers which tried to plagued my life. I desire stability and security and hold them as the key to my happiness. I have made the commitment to myself and my daughter to obtain them.

With this commitment, I practice positive thinking through reading the Bible, motivational books, and affirmations. If you’d like to change your reality, I recommend creating a vision board for your dreams and goals. You must physically see the vision every day. “And the Lord answered. Write the vision and make it plain, so he who sees it runs towards it.” I have my vision board in my bedroom because it’s the first thing I want to see when I awake in the morning. I have affirmed my dreams as true through this vision board. The vision is clear; the path is straight. Do not steer from the path. God has ordered your feet to go. Do not lose faith in God; know God didn’t bring you this far to only bring you this far. If God did it for me, he can do it for you. Do not give up on yourself! You got this!