Viking_Yearbook_93

H adiyah Miller loves to work with children and wants to provide financial security for her own. That’s what brings this 37-year-old, mom of two to PSU. Along with a class load of School of Education pre-requisites, she already has a bachelors degree, Hadiyah works at the Helen Gordon Child Center. “For me, I get a real sense of accom­ plishment. I want children to leave here with a real sense of confidence about themselves. As a teacher I try to instill a real sense of family,” she said. “There days in the class room where I see chil­ dren in some real heavy conflict. When I see them work it out for themselves, it gives me chills or sometimes brings a tear to my eye.” The Anti-bias program at Helen Gordon has personal significance to Hadiyah, an African-American Woman raising two biracial children. Hadiyah says the way she raises Robert, seven, and Lola, almost two, is more biracial, but their father is Mexican-Albanian and she one eighth i Native American. “I think Robert has a real strong sense of who he is,” she said. “If kids are making comments that he thinks are inappropriate he’ll speak up about it.” Like many single parents she says life sometimes feels overwhelming. She says she’s had to learn her own limits