Student Shona Espinoza Receives Honor from Black Women's Roundtable

Kalamazoo Valley student Shona Espinoza and her daughter Tyarra were recently honored by the Black Women's Roundtable: Metro Detroit for helping people get registered to vote. The women received the 2021 Community and Leadership Award.

Espinoza will graduate in May with an associate degree in general studies. She plans to transfer to Western Michigan University to continue building on her experience in youth and community development activities. She's passionate about helping young people and those in need. "Those are the ones that struggle the most," she said. "Those in need are the most vulnerable."

Espinoza is active with the local Mothers of Hope organization and assisted with Kalamazoo County Commissioner Stephanie Moore's campaign for state representative. Since the start of the pandemic, she has spent many hours volunteering to distribute food and supplies to underserved communities. "My 20-year-old daughter Tyarra also helped when she was pregnant and overdue," she said. "And my four-year-old son Syncere helped and being a black male, was able to see the support he can get from the community."

Along with her children, Espinoza has donated her time at a newly established free store, distributed clothes and food through the Struggles of Hope Resources organization. In addition to volunteering, Espinoza works at Hillside Middle School. Since the school district switched to online learning, she's been supervising her children's classes at home. And while life hasn't always been easy, Espinoza has always valued community connections. She maintains a web page where she lists community resources. "I'm always trying to connect people to different resources," she said. "I understand trauma and the struggles that people go through."

For others who want to get involved in volunteering, she has simple advice: "Find a nonprofit or an organization that you believe in and connect with them." Espinoza first stared college in 2010 and returned again in 2021. "As long as you start and finish something, that's what's important," she said. "Don’t be afraid to do something."