The Day I Forgot - But Will Always Remember

Brenda Brown is a mother of three and grandmother of five. She is a twin and one of 11 living siblings. Her willingness to serve and to help people is captured even in her career goal to "help students to succeed and be prepared for the economic and social opportunities that will empower them as individuals." She practices what she preaches. Her parents instilled in Brenda and her siblings the importance of education. Though she encountered many hurdles - including racial, social, and economic - she persevered, earning an associate, bachelor's, master's, and then doctoral degree. She held the same high expectations for her children, whom she inspired to achieve higher education degrees. Brenda carries that same can-do spirit into the workplace. As coordinator of Academic Resource Center, daily she guides and encourages students, regardless of their circumstances, to grow and learn. Her mantra is a Nelson Mandela quote: "An education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."
Beyond home and work, she believes that giving back is vital to promoting community - and she does! Her past volunteer efforts include Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Flint (BB/BS), the Beecher Scholarship Incentive Program, the Genesee County Reaching Across the Nation Consortium, Department of Human Services Michigan Youth Opportunity Initiatives, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute Dinner Planning Committee, the Gateway Cultivating Our Community garden project, and the United Way. Perhaps most notable, for over 30 years, Brenda has served as a mentor for BB/BS. She also mentored for Living Independently Networking Knowledge (L.I.N.K.), volunteered as the coordinator for her church's weekly A Taste of Tutoring program, and served as the Amachi liaison between BB/BS and her church. She has been a past mentor for West Bendle and Garfield Elementary Schools' Help One Student To Succeed (HOSTS) programs (6 years), an advisor to the Baker College Tutoring