Born in the urban Bronx borough of New York City, Kesha Jackson was bullied and teased as a child by her peers because of her lack of popular clothing; the Muslim artifacts that her parents made her wear to school; having to explain to others why she did not celebrate holidays after Christmas break; the mispronunciation of her name as well as her early body development during puberty. I remember my Aunt Kesha as always being kindhearted to others. Grandmother says that she was quite inquisitive and did not understand why others were so mean to her. As a child, despite the compliments that others provided to her, Kesha did not see the beauty that she possessed both inside and outside. There were many nights that she told me that she cried herself to sleep because she was too ashamed and afraid to tell her mother that the money that she had given to her, which was hard to get in that era, was taken from her by a school bully. Kesha would make up tales of stomach aches just to keep from having to go to school to face the bullies or be ridiculed.

Kesha has now grown into a well- grounded adult, but for her, developing and maintaining a high sense of self remains a continuous life process. Through the use of loans and government assistance she made her way through college and obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, a Master's Degree in Professional Counseling as well as Certification in Life Coaching with a niche in Youth and Family Support and Relationship Coaching from WCI. She is the mother of not just her own children, but those in the community needing her love and guidance. There is always an extra child at her home. 

 

Since 2000, Kesha has counseled a multitude of youth and families in the Pittsburgh area as a Therapeutic Support Staff, Mobile Therapist and Behavior Specialist Consultant. Since 2001, she has maintained employment with the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas as a Domestic Relations Officer, where she uses her counseling skills to conduct conferences on family matters including separation/divorce and financial family support obligations. She is currently a Therapeutic Host Home parent who provides a safe and nurturing environment for behaviorally challenged youth in the Pennsylvania foster care system. She is phenomenal at teaching children including her own son how to have patience with not only himself, but others and how to walk away when he is angered until he is able to get his emotions under control. She has a natural talent for calming children down and making them smile and want to excel in their lives. More recently, Kesha gave birth to her baby/company, All Eyez On Me, LLC which is designed to assist children and youth in developing a positive self-image as well as teaching them tolerance so that they can understand how to coexist in a world with others who may not look like them or share the same cultural background as their own.

 

With Love for my Auntie/Mom

 

Always, Tierra