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24 MARCH HER
HER Career
  of that I just kept that mindset and I tried to let that linger on to my daughter, and I’ve just always tried to keep a positive attitude.”
Anderson said she is always about to face peo- ple who need something from her, and she feels the need to be the light they may not see.
“I’ve always just been taught that no matter what’s going on in your life, you get up, you put a smile on your face and you keep going,” she said. “You hang your head up and know that today is go- ing to be a better day than yesterday and every day is not a good day, but every day is a blessed day.”
Anderson describes herself as a “lover by nature,” and credits this to the fact that she was loved as a child.
“I want other people to experience the love that I’ve received,” she said. “I was rich with love. I was rich with somebody always being there; somebody praying with me every single day. Somebody tell-
ing me, even when I would get discouraged with school or schoolwork or friends. You know, you always go through those different things. Some- body was always there and I never felt alone in any battle that I faced.”
In the midst of striving to be a light for others, Anderson she often hears the words of her belated father: “Keep it simple.”
“That was his way of saying when you go in, shine, but don’t be too bright,” she said. “Make sure you leave room for other people. Don’t go in and be so boisterous that everyone in the room can’t be noticed. So, I have to now, each morning, open my ears so I can be reminded that I got this.”
Anderson said it seems like the current world is “dark” and there are many things people must worry about that she didn’t have to when she was growing up, and she simply wants to see a difference.
“I want to allow those opportunities to where you feel safe, provide you a safe haven, have that listening ear,” she said. “Sometimes you have to be slow to speak, but quick to hear. I want to have that attentiveness. If there is something, I can make that impact. Without me being attentive to your needs, I can’t make an impact on your life.”
“So yeah, I hope that the things that I’m doing aren’t in vain; I hope that it becomes contagious,” Anderson continued. “I hope it’s like, ‘Oh! If she can do it, I can do it.’ ... Not because I want rec- ognition, but just because I really want to make a difference. ... It’s important to me every day that I make good use of those 24 hours. ... I’m trying to reach as many people in one day, so when I close my eyes and I say my good prayers, I can have those people in a list and I’m hoping He’s checking it off.”
24 March/April 2020 ¯ HER MAGAZINE
A legacy I hope to leave behind with not only my students but with my daughter is, when I finally close my eyes on this earth, I hope that every talent and every gift I have been blessed with, that I have none left; that I’ve used every ounce of talent. I want to be empty. I don’t want to have anything left
inside of me that I didn’t give out. That’s what I want to leave.



















































































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