Domingue McCray, a single mother of two, says that “it’s the way you fight through adversities and persevere that really defines who we are.  I am living proof that what does not kill you shall make you stronger.”  She had a rough start in life when her mother almost overdosed the day Domingue was born with drugs in her own small, frail system.  As she tells it, Domingue’s mother gave birth to 4 children and raised none.  At the age of 1, Dominigue was removed from her mother by the state and taken care of by her adopted family.  She’s faced a myriad of horrific challenges including homelessness, domestic violence, and loss of family and social support.  “But,” she writes, “I will never give up on any opportunity to become better and have the chance to give my children more than I ever had.” 

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      She dreams of establishing a career as a teacher, hoping to play a small part in a young child’s bright future.  As a 2018 Spirit Award recipient, Ms. McCray will receive a stipend for college tuition so that she may attend Atlanta Metropolitan State College in its Science Teacher Education Early Childhood program. 

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*Nominated by nonprofit partner Partnership Against Domestic Violence .