Dominique Winfrey
I was born and raised in Memphis, TN. My mother had me at the young age of 14. She tried her best to raise me but there was only so much she could do being that she was a child herself. As a result, I was primarily raised by my grandmother and uncle in an impoverished community of South Memphis, overcome with gang and drug activity. I did not have a father in my life and giving in to the culture of my environment I became involved with gang and drug at a very young age. Due to the pressure of my environment and the feeling of hopelessness, I received over 25 suspensions and ultimately was ejected from the Memphis City School system. In middle school my GPA was a 0.6. I struggled to find a reason to try.
I played basketball and as a result I met Tony and Felecia Wade through RTB. They begin to speak to the purpose in the inside of me that I didn’t know was there. I fought it constantly but they were consistent and never changed. They told me how much God loved me and hada plan for my life. Yet at the same time they should me a standard by not tolerating my foolishness. I was put out of our local gym on several occasions but they loved they showed to me even in their discipline to me never changed. As a result, the summerof my ninth grade school year I made a decision to commit my life to Jesus and live a life of purpose.
From that point forward, I began to attend school regularly, monitor my behavior with the support of RTB staff, and strived to make up ground that I lost academically. Ultimately, I graduated high school with a 4.4 GPA and was 5th in my class. I attended the University of Memphis on a full-ride leadership Scholarship and graduated with honors with Bachelor’s in Professional Studies. Afterward I continued my education at Cecil C. Humphrey School of Law where I earned a Doctorate in Jurisprudence. I continue to give back to RTB in time and resources because I know the impact this organization had on my life and the impact it can have on others.
