Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Eugenia Doreen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Eugenia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

High schools dropout rates are three times higher for foster youth than any other group of students and 97% of foster youth do not go on to receive a college degree. Well, I was blessed enough to beat the odds and now I’m teaching foster youth how to do the same!

With my new program Girls (Dream Big), I am not only bringing awareness, I am also equipping at-risk and foster youth with adequate resources on college readiness and leadership development skills. My mission is to empower and educate youth, their families and communities on how they too can overcome adversity and have the audacity to dream big.

Girls Dream Big was created to help foster youth to achieve their goals and to shift their mindset to see what all is possible for them. I spent over ten years in the foster care system and have seen and experienced so many things. Through it all, I never let my circumstances define who I was or where I was going. As a motivational speaker, I began to tell my story and over the years I knew I wanted to do more but I didn’t know how to do more. I created this program with a fresh take on how to help foster youth succeed, I believed that if I can beat the odds, they can too!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

By degree, I am a legal professional with a masters in law. By passion, I am a business woman and advocate. I help women build brands while building connections. Female Force Association is a community of female entrepreneurs who are growing their business and expanding their network. Through educational efforts and networking opportunities, we truly help women to develop, network, and thrive. We are super excited to introduce our fall collection of products and events for our Boss Lady Community! Through Female Force, we have been able to give away business grants, scholarships, teach women the importance of entrepreneurship, all while implementing positive change in the community. With the Project Force nonprofit, myself, staff, and a team of volunteers serve those in need with food and hygiene items, we send care packages to women in college, and we serve at-risk and foster youth.

Currently, I am a state titleholder in a very prestigious pageant organization. I am elated to announce that I am the Miss Black Missouri USA 2024! It is such an honor to represent the beautiful state of Missouri and to be a part of the phenomenal Miss Black USA organization. An organization with a rich history and international impact. Miss Black USA is the first and the largest scholarship pageant for women of color awarding over half a million dollars in scholarships. With Queens of various backgrounds, shades, and sizes, the mission to empower women to own their power and define her own standard of beauty remains the same. I am excited to embark on this journey and continue a legacy of inspiring women. As the next Miss Black USA, I plan to continue to empower foster youth to Dream big while pushing the organization forward in a fresh new way.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

As a child, I spent a lot of time living in shelters and away from my family. This caused tremendous amounts of stress, which eventually impacted my academic career. I was blessed enough to be able to attend before and after school tutoring. I knew from an early age that education was important and I needed it to accomplish my dreams. I worked extremely hard and didn’t give up. As a result I was fortunate enough to start my college career at the age of 16. This taught me that with God on my side and hard work, anything is possible.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Throughout life, business, and leadership, one thing I had to unlearn was asking for help was a bad thing. Asking for help, is one of the best things someone can do. As humans, we do not know everything and our experiences often shape our perception. As a child I didn’t have the language to articulate what I needed. I didn’t use my voice nor did I understand that I had the power to. I was in college when I was really faced with the reality that asking for help can actually better you. I learned to put my pride aside and ask. I did this in small steps, asking for help with small things which helped me build my courage to ask for help with more vulnerable things and situations. As a result of this, as an adult, I now have the language to articulate my needs and concerns. It has truly helped me to become a better individual.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.missblackusa.org www.kcfemaleforce.com
• Instagram: @eugenia.Doreen @eugenia.speaks @_femaleforce
• Linkedin: Eugenia Doreen Wallace

Image Credits
Robert Cannon