“This cohort has been a perfect storm of finding myself and pushing myself. I started in a very precarious place and was worried about so much. While that didn't fully change during the last 20 weeks, I knew on Wednesdays I had people who would offer an ear, empathy. Support and resources. This cohort and the facilitators were one email or call away, even if it had nothing to do with class lessons. I felt empowered through learning and that's something I REALLY wanted. I am a student of life and have tangible skills and knowledge to pass around, if the opportunity arises. The networking. The public officials, the numbers, the opportunity for participating each week were invaluable. This is a group I look forward to seeing all over social media and television with their projects. I am grateful I didn't give up. I am thankful for the opportunity to lead the charge to help children and families that look like mine. I can't wait to live out the lessons learned during this time! PLTI has me bragging already and getting other parents ready for the next class!”