Brandy Kuri of Martins Ferry knows what it's like to struggle through going to college while being a single mom. The mother of 3- and 5-year-old boys, she now has a master's level education and a professional position as admissions representative for West Virginia Business College.
Higher education is not the answer to all of Ohio Valley women's problems, Kuri said, but it is the means to finding the answers.
"I'm not saying this as someone who's had it easy. It's hard work," Kuri said.
To help women find opportunities for education, leadership and professional development in the Ohio Valley, Kuri has taken the lead in organizing a Women's Forum on Leadership and Professional Development, which will take place at the business college from 5-7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26.
The forum sponsors also include the YWCA Wheeling Family Violence Prevention Program and the Workforce West Virginia Veteran's Employment Services.
"This is an opportunity for strong women to come together and break down the barriers associated with being a mom, college student and professional woman," Kuri said.
"We are so pleased to be working with the college on this project. This is going to be great for the women in the Family Violence Prevention Program," said Debbie Wood, program director.
Wood and Kuri said they are looking forward to empowering women from all walks of life, including domestic violence victims, and supporting them in their efforts to overcome obstacles to receiving the education and acquiring the jobs they need to support their families.
"There's such a cycle of poverty in the Ohio Valley. It's easy to go on food stamps; it's easy to get assistance," Kuri said. Getting an education is "the hard way, but it's the best way," she said, because it exposes people to more experiences and helps them broaden their minds and improve their opportunities well beyond what they thought possible.
"We need to change people's minds," Wood added. "We need to get out of the victim mentality."
The forum will feature the following speakers:
For more information, call the West Virginia Business College, 304-232-0361.