May 24, 2022- Harmony Brown is an intern with the DCLI (Jerry J Dawson Civic Leadership Institute) and alumni of the residential CNA program.
Brown is a graduate of Eisenhower High School. She always had a passion for helping people but wasn’t sure what that looked like.
“It’s something that has been inside of me my whole life,” Brown said. “I have always been the one to go around and smile because I like seeing other people smile.”
After attending her school’s Career Fair, she learned about the CNA program. That led to her enrollment in the DCLI program. During her time as a residential CNA, she started to receive some direction on what her career path could be.
She admits that before the program she had some struggles that led to her losing her way, but the program helped her find her way back. Now, she wants to be an example for others and let them know that they too can find themselves even when all hope seems lost.
“For a long time I lost my way towards that. It was a while,” Brown said. “I got away from that. I started to become this mean person that I knew I wasn’t. It was hard to get back to that but eventually I found it. And when I did, I told myself that I could not let myself get back into that dark space I was in. So now that I am here, and I am living it, I want to share with everybody. I just want to be the little light in a lot of people’s lives.”
While Brown is certainly proud of her accomplishments, she is thankful for the guidance and mentorship from DCLI coordinator, Dr. Juanita Morris, that has led towards Brown’s growth.
“She put a lot of faith into not just me but all of us,” Brown said. “She has helped me through a lot. Her putting this program together and what she made it, even though she didn’t know what she was making, it helped me grow beyond. When I came out of that program, I felt like a new person. She gave me hope when I thought I missed my shot. She helped bring me back to that. Anytime I had an issue, or something was wrong, she was right there.”
Brown is currently gearing up for an internship with the Central Illinois Regional Dispatch Center.
Below is the full interview with Harmony Brown, DCLI intern and residential CNA program alumni.
