The early months of 2020 were a rude awakening to the challenges that the next year would bring for everyone, and things were no different for Vanessa. In January, she was dismissed from her position as an office assistant; in February, she contracted what she believes in retrospect was likely COVID-19; and then in March, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. “I was very fearful,” Vanessa says, recounting the various challenges she’s faced. “I searched for jobs, but with COVID exploding, I needed to use the pandemic assistance that gave me the opportunity to help my mom since her doctors were in South Carolina. I was terrified; I didn’t want to go anywhere.”

Did you know that only 27% of people who obtain a college degree actually have a job related to their major? This can be attributed to a number of factors, ranging from many jobs not necessitating a specific field of study, to labor-market disparities that make it difficult for people looking for jobs to find one that fits their exact passion and skill set.

“Whatever I do, I take it to heart and put all the knowledge I have into it,” says Deborah Dicks Maxwell regarding the various passions and causes she’s fought for throughout her life. And anyone familiar with all that she’s done and still plans to do knows that she has all the heart and all the knowledge to back up the large plate she’s set for herself. Deborah is currently sitting as the President of the New Hanover County NAACP and as the District Director for the Walter B. White District of NC NAACP, and has scarcely taken a break from her work to improve life for all in Southeastern North Carolina since she returned to her hometown of Wilmington where she’s now lived for over 30 years.

When Kevin Spears was elected to the Wilmington City Council in 2019, he brought to the role not only his own lived experiences as a Black native of the city, but also his long history as a volunteer, activist, and advocate for the city’s underrepresented communities. This has included his positions as a member of the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board; as president of Peace For the Port, a non-profit organization focusing on community violence; and as chairman of the MLK Jr. Recreation Association, a non-profit focusing on recreational and educational programs for inner city youth. For Kevin, community leadership is more than just talking. “I think at this point we’re done identifying the problems. So now it’s time for action. There have been a lot of meetings–too many meetings. Too much talk.”

“This agency was born out of my own experience,” says Frankie Roberts, who has served as the Executive Director of Leading Into New Communities, Inc. (LINC, Inc.) since he and co-founder Tracey Ray started it in 2000. LINC, Inc. provides transitional living and case management services to meet the needs of those who are returning from incarceration, and has successfully helped reintegrate over 1,200 men and women who have been released from prison since 2002; 92% of which have avoided reoffending thanks to LINC’s services.