Written by Elizabeth Exline
Wanda Burks has packed a lot into her 61 years. She鈥檚 raised two children as a single parent, worked as a certified nursing assistant (CNA), started a nonprofit and earned her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration while experiencing homelessness. She鈥檚 currently pursuing her Master of Science in Psychology at 澳门天天彩开奖记录.
She鈥檚 learned a lot about life, the criminal justice system and people along the way. Tellingly, she remains a hopeful believer in humanity.
鈥淏lood is not always family,鈥 she says. 鈥淏lood is that person who鈥檚 got your back when you鈥檙e down and you need somebody.鈥澛
For many people, Burks is that somebody. She鈥檚 that somebody for those she met while she was homeless. (鈥淚 still keep in touch with them. If they need something, I make sure they have it, whether it鈥檚 food, clothing or whatever,鈥 she says.)
She鈥檚 that somebody for perfect strangers, like the time she went to the beach on her day off and noticed a little girl who seemed to be homeless. Burks got involved. She spent hours talking to the mother, learning about her situation and encouraging her to reconcile with the grandmother. Eventually, she took the mother and child to the grandmother鈥檚 house where they could stay and, hopefully, repair the relationship. 聽
Burks doesn鈥檛 believe in turning a blind eye to difficult situations. 鈥淚f we don鈥檛 reach out to people, who will?鈥 she asks. 鈥淗ow would you want people to treat [someone on the street] if she were your daughter or granddaughter? My mindset is always to help people.鈥
Burks set upon this road after becoming a CNA when she was 19 and a mother. Drawn to the 鈥渋nvisible鈥 patients 鈥 those with mental health or substance abuse issues 鈥 she began to see how easy it was for them to fall through the cracks.
She also worked with troubled teenagers. Gradually, she realized she needed a stronger grasp of the criminal justice system if she were going to help them. 鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to go out there and get into trouble, but it鈥檚 really hard to get out of it,鈥 she says.
Burks launched a nonprofit organization out of her home called Operation X: We Feed All In Need around 2013. The goal was to help individuals with food, shelter, legal assistance and other resources. The grassroots undertaking frequently has Burks in the trenches, like the day she helped the mother and child on the beach.
鈥淚 keep clothes and blankets and stuff in my trunk, so if I see something that catches my eye, I stop,鈥 she says.
Teana Debroux聽
Burks met Teana Debroux three years ago when they were both on a community service board. 鈥淪he would see me come in to work with clothes that could be a little looser, and she invited me to her house because she had brought me clothes that [were] comfortable,鈥 Debroux recalls. 鈥淚 tried to pay her for them [but] she wouldn鈥檛 take it. Also, when someone would come in hungry or thirsty, she would offer what she had.鈥
Running her nonprofit has also taught Burks a lot about the other side of the system, the one where police officers and detectives are as invested as Burks is in helping people. She鈥檚 gone on police ride-alongs and, as she puts it, 鈥渃ome into contact with people I never would鈥檝e otherwise known.鈥
While practical experience is a good teacher, Burks eventually recognized she could only do so much with her hard-won experience. Earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree in criminal justice would give her more knowledge about how to navigate a sometimes confusing system.
She enrolled at 澳门天天彩开奖记录 for a degree in criminal justice, eager to position herself to do more. Then, disaster struck.
Eligible for a community program that provided complimentary home repairs and renovations, Burks signed up to have her roof and cabinets replaced. Her home had always been central to her work and her philosophy: She recalls welcoming her daughters鈥 friends over the years when they鈥檇 find themselves on the outs with their own parents.
鈥淢y house has never been empty,鈥 she says. 鈥淲ith my daughters鈥 friends, when their mothers kicked them out when they got pregnant 鈥 [I said,] 鈥楽tay right here. I will readjust my schedule as long as you promise me that you will go to school and graduate,鈥 and that鈥檚 what they did.鈥
As the work on her home progressed, however, problems began to multiply. The cabinet work wasn鈥檛 done properly, she says, and the ceiling in one bedroom gave way to become a yawning expanse where the fan had once been. But it was the discovery of black mold that spelled disaster for Burks. She had to leave her home, and she had nowhere to go.
鈥淒uring my time getting my bachelor鈥檚, I was mostly homeless, sleeping in my car, doing homework at McDonald鈥檚 with the Wi-Fi,鈥 Burks says. 鈥淚 [was] homeless all through everything, but that did not stop me from doing what I wanted to do, because I still help my people. I still provided for my people. I still maintained my grades.鈥澛
Burks did more than maintain her grades. She completed her bachelor鈥檚 degree, returned home, earned a master鈥檚 in criminal justice and is pursuing a second master鈥檚 in psychology.
Why the second master鈥檚? As an employee of the Commonwealth of Virginia, she has her eye on a case manager role. She has the experience, but she needs more educational credentials. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want them to give it to me,鈥 she says, underscoring her desire to earn what she receives.
鈥淪o, I decided, 鈥極K, I鈥檓 61 right now, but I鈥檓 going to go back to school. I鈥檓 going to get this psychology degree, and I鈥檓 going to go into mental health, and I鈥檓 going to work for the people,鈥欌 Burks says.
She鈥檚 set to complete her degree in February 2025.
In the meantime, she refuses to slow down, refuses to let life circumstances get her down. To her mind, life isn鈥檛 meant to be easy. It鈥檚 meant to challenge her into growth.
鈥淲hen you stop, you don鈥檛 disappoint other people,鈥 she says. 鈥淵ou stop and disappoint yourself.鈥
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Elizabeth Exline has been telling stories ever since she won a writing contest in third grade. She's covered design and architecture, travel, lifestyle content and a host of other topics for national, regional, local and brand publications. Additionally, she's worked in content development for Marriott International and manuscript development for a variety of authors.
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August 25, 2022 鈥 6 Minutes