Andrea C. Imafidon

Meet Andrea:

"Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it." -Maya Angelou

In April 2014, I created Brown Girl From Boston to document my life transition and journey of transformation. Brown Girl From Boston is growing and developing into a supportive and passionate journey for other Brown Girls to follow their life's purpose and passion and live out loud and boldly. More about Drea...

Being Brown in Boston:
Born and bred in Boston, MA, I grew up in the neighborhood of Mattapan on 31 Hollingsworth St. in which my Mother, Father, two older brothers and Uncle raised and nurtured me. Being the youngest and the only girl of three kids, I grew up as a tomboy embracing the Bostonian, Around the Way go-getter and hard working attitude. Not only did I embrace being a Bostonian with Alabamian roots but I also embraced being a brown girl from boston because being a brown girl was the norm in Boston but an anomaly elsewhere within the United States. Historically, Boston was known for Irish Settlers, Red Auerbach, Larry Bird and The Boston Celtics, and hardcore Bostonian accents. Therefore, being a brown girl from boston was unheard of unless you lived in Mattapan, Roxbury, Dorchester, Hyde Park or Jamaica Plain.

My Journey to Becoming a Social Worker:
I always kept myself busy with school, sports and various programs. I remember my mother asking me, why do I like to keep busy and I responded by saying that I don't want to get in trouble and ruin my reputation as a leader. At that time, I was Captain of my Varsity Basketball team and led by example. I always was enrolled into various leadership camps and summer enrichment programs. (S/O to Bentley College and Pine Manor) You can say that I am an overachiever!

My entire life was surrounded by caregivers and selfless people. I remember my mother taking in and caring for my grandmother, raising my uncle, and caring for countless of other family members and people. Seeing my mother serve people in a selfless and caring matter, I knew I wanted to do something similar but on a different level. Ever since the tender age of 11, I volunteered at numerous agencies serving the elderly, homeless, at risk teens and leading various troops through Girl Scouts. During college, I was determined to becoming a Registered Nurse until that fateful day in which I took a introduction class in Social Work and transition to become a Social Worker. As a S