Meet Christy Allen.
Sergeant in the St. Louis Police Department and Girls in the Know "All About Safety" Presenter
#knowledgeissafety
"I am brave and strong and smart and courageous everyday."
We would like to introduce your to our friend Christy Allen. Today, she'll be sharing words with us about fitting in, self love, and bravery.
Christy grew up in St. Louis - in predominantly black and impoverished neighborhoods. But, as a high schooler, her mother encouraged her to take part in a program that allowed inner city students to be bussed out to county schools to receive a better education. Though this program provided Christy with countless new and excited opportunities, the transformation was anything but easy. She quickly went from a school that was 100% black to only 12% black. Looking back, Christy says, "there are times that I felt like I didn't belong there. I felt like I had a spotlight on me because I looked very different from everybody else. Having no black teachers, it was really hard for me to relate." As she encountered challenges however, she coped by acting out. She recalls, "I fed into to mentally what I was already prepped to believe before I got there: that I didn't belong." But as time went on, Christy was able to settle down and make a home within her new school. She came to meet and count on some staff members, especially her counselor, that were committed to her success and comfort - staff members that she still keeps in contact with. It was this encouragement, love, and devotion that molded Christy into the strong woman that she is today.
Her takeaway: Some of our darkest times emerge when we feel like an imposter - like we are out of place. But it is in these moments when we learn to love who were are as individuals. As women. We learn to love ourselves, even when we feel like others don't. The feeling of being an outcast is something that so many of us experience, and it takes bravery and boldness to remain strong in those seasons.
Who was your role model growing up? Who did you look up to?
Christy's biggest role model was her sister who was seven years older than her. It was her sister that made sure that she went to school, had her hair done, did her homework, and got breakfast.
Her takeaway: We can't do any of this on our own. We as women and girls need to ban together and serve each other.
Which role do you play within the Girls in the Know story?
Christy has taken on the safety segment of our four week GITK program. As a police officer, Christy feels that teaching young girls how they can protect their bodies and their hearts from danger is a "natural thing" for her to do. She loves having the opportunity to "touch little people who will one day grow up to be big people." Christy sees so much potential in the girls that she works with - more than they even see in themselves. She says "I love the content that Girls in the Know provides for the girls because it's all relevant." In her presentation, she touches on issues that all girls face. Issues that she feels "an obligation" to educate these young girls on in order to see them grow.
Her takeaway: We have to give back. If not for the devotion, patience, and encouragement of Christy's female role models, she would not be where she is today. So now Christy is doing just that for other young girls.
Tell us about a time when you felt like you weren't enough. How did you overcome this?
Christy's traumatic childhood reminded her time and time again that she was not enough. That she didn't measure up. She remembers thinking the frequent thought that her appearance was not what she wanted it to be. But she overcame this by growth. Growing to feel comfortable in her own skin and confident in front of a mirror. She came to realize that the real validation did not come from other people - but from herself. She proudly notes, "now, I know I'm beautiful."
Her takeaway: Learning to love the way that we look does not happen over night. It takes time. It takes growth. It takes constant self reminders that we are enough. We will never love who we are by just hearing it from it from other people. It must come from within.
