June 2020

• Yakema Decatur

  Yakema Decatur’s journey to earn a Baccalaureate Degree is 31 years in the making. After graduating from high school and attending college, her journey was suddenly halted when she received news that her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. She left Grambling State University in Louisiana to return to California to seek employment as she was unsure of how this devastating news would impact her family of three (her Mother, herself, and little sister). Sadly, her mother lost her battle in 1997.

  
  

  Life continued to happen; she got married, had kids, and divorced, all while being responsible for financially supporting her family. In 1999, she joined TEAM INGLEWOOD, and has been a loyal civil servant for the past 21 years. Starting in a part-time entry-level position, she knew she had talents that would lead her to success within the City. She was able to move up quickly to management despite not having a degree. Having a college degree was always her goal, and not finishing was one of her biggest regrets. She was complacent and excused it away by convincing herself she did not have time to commit to furthering her education.

  
  

  At some point in her upward journey, the Executive staff and City Council learned that she did not have a degree, and vigorously encouraged her to “Go Get It.” The powers recognized the raw talent and wanted more for my career as did she. As explained to her by many supporters, “experience absent education is equally stagnating as education without experience.” No amount of practice was going to qualify her to reach her full professional capacity without the validation of the coveted bachelor’s degree. She understands that she is capable of growing her career to the executive level, her professional product supports this belief and with the proper credentials, it will become a reality.

  
  

  As Inglewood began to grow and become a more highly visible city, she knew she could no longer ignore the necessity for this validation. There would be great opportunities to move forward and she wanted to be a part of the new leadership. However, her successes caused delusions that, based on the relationships and respect for her work, she could perform her way to the next level. Until one day, the Human Resources Director called her into her office and reminded me for the 100th time, that a degree is the critical key that will open the next profession door for which my 21 years of experience laid the foundation. She further stated that the City has partnered with the University of West Los Angeles (UWLA) to offer full-time employees a chance to complete their Bachelor’s degree. She also stated that if she took advantage of the opportunity, she would be offered a partial scholarship to help with costs, and she had already made the appointment for her.

  
  

  That was in 2018, and she am now a proud student of the University of West Los Angeles close to completion. A dream she could have never attained without the support of her family, nor the encouragement and push from the HR Director and other City Executives. From Administration, Instructors, classmates, and the UWLA President himself, she has been passionately encouraged, to capitalize on this moment is definitely one of the best decisions I ever made.

  
  

  Yakem Decatur

  C/O 2021