“I feel like I’ve lived 50 lifetimes. I was born in Liberia, lived in Ghana and Canada, and now call Philadelphia home. Moving around gives you a sense of your place in the world. I’ve learned to be grateful for the small things. My big problems were not unsurmountable.
I’ve had many people influence my journey. I really like people who are passionate about what they do, and my under-grad advisor lived and breathed political science. He persuaded me to major in political science and minor in history and international studies.
Whenever anyone asked, I told them I was going to law school. That had always been my plan. My junior year, I interned with Senator Hughes and because I had spent time in foster care, I was invited to participate in permanency roundtable discussions. From there, Cindy Gore encouraged me to work as a youth ambassador for the Child Welfare Resource Center. I also got my MPA at West Chester University, but law school was still my plan.
Through CWRC, I learned about Voce and was hired as a paralegal assigned to the Philadelphia Department of Human Services in 2022. That role helped me understand how everything in child welfare tied together. I recently transitioned to become a technical assistant, and I’m appreciating working in a more intimate role with provider agencies. I remember once speaking with a woman at a homeless shelter who described herself as ‘in transition.’ That stuck with me. I think of myself—and all of us, really—as in transition.
One of my mentors taught me that having the willingness to do something matters more than having the means. Six years ago, I founded a grassroots nonprofit called Be The Blessing to help better the community. We put a call out for donations which we used to feed the homeless, provide back-to-school supplies and do clean-up days. You can put me anywhere. I’ll always try to make a place better than I found it.”
-Amah, Technical Assistant
We Are Voce is a series featuring the unique voices of Voce staff, highlighting the experiences, perspectives, and passions of the people who make a difference every day. This series celebrates the people and stories that bring our mission to life.
