A Brooklyn Mom’s Experience in Jeremiah Program

JP Brooklyn mom Felicia Medina has been with Jeremiah Program since our early days in New York. For the 2023 Brooklyn Voices Rising event, in which JP moms share their experiences with the Brooklyn community, Felicia shared some of her story in person and introduced the following video that describes even more.

My name is Felicia. I’ve been a part of Jeremiah since 2019. I was one of their first cohorts.

So I just started a new position as an early intervention specialist coordinator. I’m just looking to build up my work experience. I would love to kind of circle back and find myself working for an organization like JP or JP itself because it’s amazing work.

My ultimate goal is — within two to three years — to be able to purchase a property. The housing prices keep women in situations that are no longer serving them. As a woman who left a relationship that wasn’t right for me, I think a lot of women stay because of the financial necessity. It’s a hard choice, you know? It’s like, do I leave what I know is comfortable and try to venture out and do it on my own and then fail? So I think housing and just finding a job where I’m able to make enough money to sustain myself — that’s been my biggest hiccup.

People wrongly assume single moms are lazy or that they have it easy, and I don’t know why. Being a single mom is tough. … It’s all worth it at the end, but it’s definitely not simple.

I think [people] wrongly assume single moms are lazy or that they have it easy, and I don’t know why. Being a single mom is tough. It’s a lot of work. It’s tiring. It’s all worth it at the end, but it’s definitely not simple.

The summit was amazing. It was just this overwhelming feeling sitting in a room with 3- to 400 other women and to see how JP has affected so many lives…it was really amazing. I want to just say thank you to JP for always being a support. [JP Brooklyn Operations Manager] Maddy has been there from the beginning; I got a lot of love for her. My kids love coming here because they feel the love, and it’s just a welcoming atmosphere.

And for other moms who are thinking about joining JP, I say do it. You won’t regret it. There’s nothing negative here. Anything from the inception of your interaction with JP will just be a benefit.

This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.