Teena Allen’s daughter compares her mother to a tree.

“She says, ‘You’re like a tree with many branches. You have your school work, job, time with us, business ideas’…She sees that I work hard,” said Allen, a Master of Social Work candidate who also earned her Bachelor of Social Work degree from Winthrop in May.

The 34-year-old single mother of two— Amber, 17, and Langston, 9—firmly roots her family in simple lessons: Family comes first. Education lights fires. Chase dreams, not paychecks.

Growing up in Summerton, Allen’s goal to be the first in her family to graduate college was nearly derailed when, at 17, she welcomed her daughter.

“I didn’t want to be a statistic,” she said. “That was the driving force for me to go to school and work.”

Allen attended Central Carolina Technical College and then South Carolina State, rushing among classes, a job and her daughter. Her family would help with Amber so that Allen could spend time on campus and see what the college experience was like, lessons she could eventually pass on.

Allen moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, and transferred to Winthrop, but the timing wasn’t right; her degree took a backseat. She married, welcomed her son and started work.

A co-worker piqued Allen’s interest in social responsibility, especially as it related to Allen’s new city.

“It seemed like a ‘badge of honor’ to be in uptown Charlotte,” Allen explained. “It’s so busy, filled with people who want to be cared for and who are looking for something deeper…It got a lot more personal to me.”

So personal, that Allen returned to Winthrop with a new focus: empowering others.

“When I decided to take this journey to go back to school, I wanted to make sure my priorities were set,” she said. “It had to have purpose. It had to have meaning.”

Armed with the ANSWER scholarship, which helps women through the Mentorship for Moms program, Allen’s branches started to extend.

Assistant Field Director Perry Owen places students in their internships during their last semesters. Allen stood out to him during the interview process because her questions were against the norm.

“Teena takes every opportunity, whether negative or positive, and turns it into a beneficial experience for her both professionally and personally, and she does so with style and grace,” he said. “In the classroom, she shines as a bright, articulate, conscientious student who has a passion and yearning to grasp as much knowledge as possible in order to better serve her community.”

A few semesters ago, Allen hit several roadblocks: her grandmother passed away; two days after the funeral, her husband didn’t want to be married anymore; and she underwent a medical procedure.

“I needed all of these things to happen because I had a lot I needed to learn about myself,” Allen said.

One thing she learned: be honest with yourself.

“You have to be very honest with yourself and confident in your skills,” she said. “When things don’t turn out as expected, when you don’t get what you thought you needed… Being able to view the experience as being necessary for your growth is the root of empowerment.

“This life is not about being perfect for me; it’s about being persistent with the pursuit of excellence on my level.”

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