My Autobiography

 My name is Alesia and I have a 20yr old son who is about to make me a grand mother for the first time. His dad and I aren’t too happy about the fact that he is about to become a father at his age, but we are having serious discussions with him, trying to get him ready for fatherhood. We want to know if he is ready to care for a baby or rear a child. So far it seems as if my son and his girlfriend are prepared. They attend school full time (he attends to Bx Community College and she attends Lehman College), work full time and have said that they at least plan to continue working and going to school.

 

My mom and dad are both deceased. My mom is from Bermuda and my dad is from South Carolina. My mom passed on when I was fifteen (15) and it was very hard on me, plus, I had to concentrate in school to keep my grades up to par.  My brother and I were very spoiled and when she suddenly passed my dad continued a lot of the responsibilities that my mom did. At that time my dad owned and was the super of the building that we lived in and also worked on Wall Street on the trading floor as a trader. It goes with out saying that he really had his hands full. Maybe a year or two after my mom died, my dad got involved with another woman who had six children and I was literally thrown into a world of cooking, cleaning and caring for other children when I didn’t even know how to care for myself. It was very traumatic. Now I am a grown woman and still get a chill down my back when I think of those years.

 

My dad’s passing was equally traumatic. I was a daddy’s girl so to speak. He took care of the taxes on the house, the water bill and all the utility bills as well as the leisure bills such as the cable bill. When he died I had no clue who got paid what, whether the payments could be mailed, paid online or if I had to go directly to the company itself to pay the bill. On top of all that, he had reneged on the bills a few months before he passed, so I had to figure how much to give the collectors and payment agreements had to be made.

 

As time has gone on I have become consistent with keeping up with bill payments, over come the trauma of being thrown into housework and now adjusted to the fact that my son is having a baby and making me become a grandmother before I’m ready…ughhh

 

As I’m currently in my second career, I decided to continue my education. After researching all of the CUNY schools and programs that were offered, City Tech (CT) seemed to be the perfect place to do so.

 

For 13 years I worked in the World Trade Center for Morgan Stanley. The first four years I was an accountant and the last nine years I was a Junior Trader. I loved my job but everything changed on the fateful day of 9/11. I actually called in sick that morning before the first plane hit the tower and had no idea of the tragedy that was taking place. I lost several co-workers and friends that I made all the years that I worked there but was able to meet a few of their families and let them know of the special friendship I had with their relative.

 

I became gainfully employed two years later at a mental and drug rehabilitation agency. That’s when I decided a career change to Human Services may be in order. I loved “crunching numbers” but in working with the consumers at my agency I appreciated the look on someone’s face or the genuine appreciation shown from someone who wasn’t expecting to be placed in permanent housing, who received help understanding or filling out paperwork; or received something as simple as a hygiene kit or a towel.

 

With my life experience, hands-on experience and official education I will receive from my studies at CT I know I will advance through the ranks successfully.