08 Sep Keepers of the Flame Scholarship September 2022: Janitza Vasquez

Meet Janitza Vasquez, our September Keepers of the Flame Scholarship recipient and founder of One Happy Mama!

Janitza, tell us more about you…

My business is a nonprofit organization out of Louisiana called One Happy Mama. One Happy Mama (OHM) is dedicated to empowering and uplifting young mothers through their journey of motherhood, self-fulfillment, and self-discovery while pursuing their happiest lives through mentorship and workshops.

OHM was created as a direct response to the number of young mothers in the New Orleans area who are suffering from the deleterious effects of social determinants of health including abject poverty, low educational attainment, and the poorest health outcome. I believe that if we are successful in helping mothers throughout our community, we will also see the benefits in the youth of the community.

The idea of OHM originally came to me as a support group for single mothers because I hated the negative stigma attached to single mothers. However, as an educator of 8+ years, I also wanted to find a way to further impact the lives of the students I serve in my community. I saw the negative impact of stressed, unhappy mothers in our children and decided that OHM should also serve as a direct response to that.

As mothers, we play a huge part in transforming our society. We are our future leaders, first teachers and mentors, WE SHAPE THE FUTURE. If we are not our happiest, healthiest selves, our children unfortunately pay the consequence. My passion as a mother and educator for wanting to make a lasting impact in my community is what makes me a candidate for success in this endeavor.

OHM believes that the pathway out of poverty is through the attainment of education, whether it’s career training, trade school or a college degree. Through our “The Mama Scholar” program we will work with our mentees and local mothers to set educational goals and determine a career trajectory. I believe the work we do will “pay it forward” to several women in our community.