Sheena Foster is a 28 year old native of New Orleans, LA and currently resides in Newark, NJ.
Describe your work.
For nearly five years, I’ve worked as a union representative where I negotiated and enforced labor agreements in California, Texas and New Jersey until the lost of my job in April 2009. Coincidentally, those experiences lead me to back to a life of volunteerism, philanthropy, social activism and social entrepreneurship. I now spend my days working as a freelance research consultant on a range of global and domestic projects in the area of economic, social and cultural rights which affords me opportunity to travel abroad and have a social impact by fusing my passions and expertise. When not working abroad, I am working with non-profits as a volunteer consultant and independently planning community events in the areas of education, sustainability and health care. This month, I will launch community forums on “What the Health Care Reform Bill mean to me?” where I will have experts break down the bill for everyday people and answer questions. Next month, I will launch a series on Sustainability in Urban Communities and the Green Movement.
What is your life's Mantra?
Never, never, never give up by Winston Churchill and the Purpose of Life is to Live a Life of PURPOSE.
When or what was your eye opening experience that led you to your passion?
Being born and raised in an urban environment, very humble and meager beginnings to teenage parents who are not college educated in an area of extreme poverty and being able to excel personally and professionally because of having supportive people in my life has been my beacon of hope. It’s instilled in me a sense of obligation to help those who don’t have the resources and access to help themselves.
What is your simple pleasure?
When work was stressful, a spa day of pampering was a monthly ritual for me. Now, I treat myself by treating someone else to spa days and other opportunity to feel beautiful on the inside and out. My greatest satisfaction is to see people happy and smiling.
Describe yourself in one word.
When choosing one word to describe myself, I would have to say that I am like a Lotus. Lotus flowers are beautiful and have strong symbolic ties to many Asian religions. The lotus flower starts as a small flower down at the bottom of a pond in the mud and muck. It slowly grows up towards the water’s surface gradually moving towards sunlight. Once it comes to the surface of the water, the lotus flower begins to blossom and turn into a beautiful flower. Which is symbolic of my life's courses of how I’ve overcome the muddy waters of life’s obstacles and have blossomed into a beautiful being?
