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My name is Ladonna Dozier, and I was born October 27, 1982, and I was born in New York City, Bronx, NY. I ended up in the Hill District because I actually graduated from Pitt, and I just kind of like stayed. It was a good school, and I thought that it fit the medical school that I wanted to go to, so I graduated. I got a bachelors in science and nursing there. So I became an RN there. I also got a computer degree there too also. I’ve worked as a nurse, a registered nurse, which was kind of cool. I worked in neonatal care. That’s like with babies who are very, very sick. I love that field. I also work with elderly. I love that field. I’ve also worked with children because I used to work at Children’s. I worked in the ER, which was the most exciting of that field for me and plastic surgery, which was kind of cool. I just feel like the location in itself is OK. It has high transportation here, you know, that’s what made me move to this part. At first, I didn’t have a car, so I need transportation where I can get to every bus, like, I’m close to town and all this other stuff. So that was a plus for me when I moved here. I’ve always had pretty much everything I needed since I’ve been here in the Hill District, but what I do see in the Hill District, like, even from neighbors and things like that, I see a lot of struggle and I feel like I’m one of those people that want to help everybody. You know what I’m saying? I want to help everybody, even if I don’t know them. Like, I’ll get a shirt off my back or I’ll get my less and I’ll be like, “You know, God just bless me from that,” you know what I mean? But that’s a quality that my mom had that I feel like she installed in me. I do think being in Pittsburgh, they have a lot more programs than other states that can help you. So if you have it here, take advantage of it. Get where you need to be and then get off of it. I think I see a lot of that. I did a lot of music. I love singing. I love music. So I looked up to a lot of people. The one lady that I really looked up to was my mom. You know, she was very resilient woman and she always got back up on her feet. And one thing I commend about her is being able to forgive. That’s hard. And it’s still a challenge for me to this day, even though I be like, “You know what? I gotta take the high road.” But I’m really, like irritated on the inside. But as long as I don’t act on those emotions, those feelings will go away after a while. I aim to be like that at some point. Where she would like, “Just leave it to God. Just let it go.” And I’m just like “Mom, What do you mean?” Like she just, you know, she taught me that. So now I try to teach my kids that. I have two children now and that- I don’t let them go to people’s houses. My son is now 20, but my daughter is 14, and she’s special needs and she’s going blind, and things like that. So they could come over. But I’m very protective of my kids, very. I feel like a strong woman is a person who… What is that saying? Make lemons into lemonade type thing. Most women have that ability to do those things. Don’t let people tear you down. If you told that person what happened to you, then you told them. There’s nothing they can do with it because you gave him that information. You know what I’m saying? But don’t allow people to tear you down, cause I’ve actually, I had, like, probably abandonment issues because friends, I used to feel like I would always want to be so cool with everybody from being so angry and people would look at me like I was a bully, and I was this, and I was that. But really I was hurting and wanted people to hurt like me and try not to let your emotions drive you. Your emotions always be in control of those no matter where you are in life, because that’s the only thing you really can’t control, you can’t control the situation. You can’t control what goes on. You can’t do those things. But you definitely can’t control anything that deals with you and your emotions and how you carry yourself and your character and what you want to portray for people to see about you. So I had to learn that. The Hill District has definitely showed me how to be strong, being that I don’t have no family here. When I look at my kids, they are who I get up for, who I do this for. When I’m tired, when I’m aching, when I’m in pain, when I don’t want to go, it’s cold outside, I don’t want to start the car, I don’t want to rake the snow like… They’re the ones who get me going, yeah.