Nikki Williams-Rucker is a native of Chicago, Illinois, now living in the suburbs of Georgia. She is a wife and mother of two with 16 years of experience as an English teacher. Throughout her career, she has witnessed the struggles and trauma African- American girls face and wanted to help them create a new narrative. In an effort to do so, My Sister’s Keeper (MSK) was born.
This program focuses on making positive informed life choices and dedicating time and concentration to academic success through college and beyond for the betterment of communities.
In her spare time Nikki loves to write, and she published a book of poetry, Spoken Word, in 2017. These writings are an expression of her experiences related to love, life, and faith. The betterment of communities and writing has always been her passion and sharing it with others is her dream. Get better acquainted with Nikki and her work below.Â
Fancy: Please share a little about My Sister’s Keeper and how it was started.
Nikki: MSK started in 2008 in Chicago, Illinois in response to a need for girls in underserved communities to have a sense of mentorship. We wanted to create a community of sisterhood among these young ladies that helped them deal with some of the things that were holding them back from excelling in school. When I moved to Georgia, we closed the program after seeing almost 2,500 girls in and around Chicago, restructured it, and opened it again here in Georgia.
We are one company with two distinct populations. The MSK Experience is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to empowering, motivating and educating girls and women in ways that encourage them to live their best lives regardless of their socio economic status or background. Our goal is to dismantle the misguided notions created by society that tears down, divides, and discourages and to challenge girls and women to change the narrative by being a community that is truly stronger together.Â
Fancy: What inspired the “Inspire†Scholarship Gala?
Nikki: This is our sixth scholarship fundraiser. It started out as a way to provide our senior girls with small book scholarships and grew into a way of honoring unsung community heroes, who are doing amazing things on behalf of girls and women. In addition to the social and emotional support we offer our girls, we wanted to offer monetary support as they transition into the next phase of their academic lives as well.
Fancy: Please share a little about the honorees and what we can expect at the gala.
Nikki: This is our first gala here in Atlanta, Georgia, and in sticking with our theme of honoring those who are doing amazing things in our core focus areas, we chose women who represent those tenants. Also for the first time, we are honoring a young visionary who is changing her community as well. Our honorees are: Cassi Simmons- Entrepreneurship, LaShanda Pitts-Service, Dr. Monica Hill- Health, Francheska Felder-Media Awareness and our Young Visionary- Kemery Oparah. We also have an amazing keynote speaker from Every Woman Works, Inc., Mrs. Stacey Howell. The Gala is taking place at Twelve Downtown Autograph Collection, and we are very excited about the opportunity to bring this event to Atlanta for the first time.
Fancy: How many events have you hosted in the past and how many scholarships have you given away?
Nikki: We host an event for our Women’s Suite every month in different women run businesses around Atlanta, and we have hosted several events for our program girls such as conferences and even a free prom dress give away at Tri Cities HS, which is another one of our signature events. In the past we have given away over $2,000 in book awards.
Fancy: Who are the candidates or ideal recipients of these scholarships?
Nikki: Any senior girl in our program is eligible for these awards.
Fancy: When will they be awarded?
Nikki: They find out at the gala if they are the recipients of an award.
Fancy: After being in the classroom 16 years, does that make it any easier to witness or accept the things your students face every day?
Nikki: Yes. I think being an educator and a mom makes it easier for me to see past the surface of attitudes or seemingly lack of motivation in class and want to get to the root cause of the students’ social and emotional behaviors. I worked on one of the toughest sides of town in Chicago, but due to the relationships I took the time to form with my students, I never felt unsafe. Kids just want someone to take the time to listen to them and actually care about them.
Fancy: Do you ever consider moving back to Chicago?
Nikki: There are days I miss Chicago but mainly for the food, lol!
We were recently hired to facilitate a summer program in Chicago, so our program might be expanded back there very soon.
Fancy: As a wife, mother, educator, and director, how do you balance it all or do you even seek balance?
Nikki: I balance it all by making sure I take time for myself. Whether it is going to get my hair done, or my nails done, or just taking some time with my friends in Chicago, I try to do something just for me every week. I also pray every morning and spend some quality time alone which grounds my day.
Fancy: What advice would you give to those wanting to make an impact in their communities?
Nikki: Do it! The only way things change is for us to change them. I have always operated under the idea that I should always leave things better than I found them. If we want things to change, we have to be bold enough and passionate enough to do the changing. I would tell people to simply do it. Care enough to truly be the change.
Fancy: What’s one fun thing about Nikki that most do not know?
Nikki: Most people don’t know that I love playing practical jokes. Seeing people’s reaction to things and making them laugh and get silly gives me joy.
Fancy: Do you have any other events or projects that you would like to share?
Nikki: We were one of the organizations chosen by The United Way Fayette as one of the 2018 grant recipients, and with that winning, we are going to create more opportunities for teens in Fayetteville, Georgia, starting with a summer program that bridges the gap between teens and the community.
On July 20th, we are hosting a day of self care for women called “Protect Your Magic†a day of self care in Atlanta Ga. It will be a day to have women come together and experience a day of relaxation, self love and fun.
Connect with Nikki and MSK below, and grab tickets to the gala. We’ll be there!
Website: www.themskexperience.com
IG: mskexperience
Twitter: msk_experience
FB: https://www.facebook.com/THEMSKEXPERIENCE/
Gala Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/6th-annual-lifting-as-we-climb-scholarship-fundraiser-inspire-tickets-51593799443
