JP Alumni Fellow Story: Tiffany Benson
JP Alumni Fellow Tiffany Benson wants single moms to be involved in discussions about child care, education, and building better communities.
The 2024-2025 Jeremiah Program Alumni Fellows are using their experiences, expertise, and stories to advocate for other single moms and their families. 2022 JP Boston alum Tiffany Benson wants single moms to be at the table when there are discussions about child care, education, and any aspect of building better communities. This is her story.
My name is Tiffany Benson, class of 2022, and I am a JP Fellow. I think the moment that presented me with a critical choice was deciding to go back to school to complete my degree. I went back to get my bachelor’s in business management with a concentration in trauma studies.
Life before I made the decision to go back to school to get my degree was very confusing. I was in a state of confusion because I was trying to figure out my place in the city that I had just moved to, and then at the time, I also had two children in middle school and elementary school, so trying to find resources to be able to help them to become young adults. I was dealing with some past experiences that I felt like it was time for me to work through to get rid of, so that way I can be a better student, a better parent, a better coworker, and a better community member.
If people are having discussions about child care, there should be single moms at the table to talk about how child care will or will not impact them.
My children see that, one, you have to work hard for what it is that you want. You always come out on top if you put the work into it. I think they’re also learning that it’s good to give back to your community and find out ways to be able to help your community because, when everybody in the community is being uplifted, then it makes for a better community for the future. One of the biggest core values that I want my children to take with them is education is key. It’s the one thing that no one can take away from you.
I think it’s so hard for Black single mothers to find their peace in this world because there are so many negative things that come once you become a single Black mother. Jobs feel like you’re not going to be able to do a good job. Jobs feel like you’ll be calling out and not coming in. And then in society, people feel like you might not deserve the higher pay because of your status in the world, so I definitely want single Black mothers to know that there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel, no matter what it is that you’re going through. And when you bring your children with you, it makes the experience even more fun or interesting.
JP Legacy Award | Second Place
Tiffany’s daughter, Leilani, is the inaugural second-place winner of the JP Legacy Award, which recognizes children of JP alumni who are making an impact in their community. Because of her leadership, Leilani won a $5,000 college scholarship.
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