My mom, Keleskia “KeKe” Cook, ran for our county’s Board of Education in this year’s election. Although she didn’t win her race, she’s felt like she’s accomplished so much.

One of those things was stepping out of her comfort zone for a greater purpose.

My mom has always valued education. She’s seen the huge role its played in her life and in her children’s life.

Although she’d never pressure my sister and I to do something we didn’t want to do, she always stressed the importance of higher education, whether that was a four year degree, attending a community college or learning a trade.

She knew that the more educated we were, we’d have the ability to be whoever we wanted to be and do whatever we wanted to do.

My mom saw the lack of opportunity in the town we currently live in, especially for children of color, and wanted to be a voice for those who didn’t have one.

She may not have won our district, but that isn’t going to stop her from striving to see the children of our town succeed.

It can be nerve wracking to step out of the little “bubble” you’ve built around yourself, but if you feel that it’s for an important cause, you can do anything you set your mind to.

I asked my mom a few questions about stepping out of her comfort zone, which you can find here.