Imane is one of my former Smootents (Ms. Smoot + Students) from Whitney M. Young Job Corps Center. Her family moved from Chad to Louisville, KY in 2007. We met shortly after when Imane was scheduled to my Reading class.
Imane’s determination earned her a CNA certification and proficiency in literacy and numeracy. Upon her graduation in 2011 from Job Corps, Imane worked in the medical field before moving to a management position in the service industry.
Imane has been a student and a teacher. She would bring in DVD movies produced in Ghana and Nigeria. Our class learned to break the stereotypes of Africa to see how well our brothers and sisters are living. I still enjoy watching Gollywood and Nollywood movies to this day.
Imane and I always stayed in contact with each other outside of school. She exposed me to a lot of African culture. I was never treated like a stranger when she invited me to her family’s weddings.
This photo was in 2013 at the Frostbite 5K.
In 2015, I witnessed Imane celebrating her marriage. In her culture couples are married first, then they have a wedding to celebrate. She was already married a few months before the actual wedding.
This past September, Imane stopped by my house to chit chat. I knew she looked different. Before I could say anything, she told me that she was expecting. It was very early in her pregnancy, but she wanted me to know.
Fast forward to Imane’s baby shower. For this first time Mommy, I had to hook her up with a little bit of everything. Because I was her teacher, it was important for me to include some books in the gift basket I designed.
Birds of a Feather…If you see Imane, her best friend from Job Corps, Gloria is close by. Gloria and I have history too. She was the president of the Student Government Association, and we traveled to Washington D.C. for a conference. This Haitian native is a RN and will be completing her Master’s in June.
Celebrating the life of Baby Ali! I love you, Imane!
Job Corps Works!!
KelsieLou
Kelsie Lou's Blog 
She’s really pretty! I so respect her for knowing what she wanted and let nothing stop her from reaching those goals. I love the colours of clothing and that cute cake too! 🙏🏻😎
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Yeah imagine coming to a country and not speaking a lick of English. She speaks Arabic, her native language and a little bit of French.
The cake was amazing! It had chocolate and vanilla layers with a strawberry cream between. The surprise was two layers of peaches. Super good!!
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I’ve often heard that charities like Children in Need do an immense disservice to Africa by not delivering examples of thriving citizens of Africa and their communities. This is a wonderful portrait, Imane sounds lovely and so graceful, and she is absolutely stunning.
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You are absolutely correct. There are some very enhanced family and social norms deeply rooted in African culture. Thank you for recognizing the truth that goes beyond famine and poverty.
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Beautiful celebrations! Deeply impressed by her accomplishments.
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Thank you! Imane gave birth to a healthy baby boy, and is enjoying her new role as a Mommy.
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