Andrea Walker
The self-proclaimed epitome of "A Beautiful Struggle", 31-year-old Andrea Walker stands firm on her title. She is the mother of five, three of which she is the biological mother of; two who are her nieces that she single handedly raised from the young age of seventeen. After being abandoned with family members, at just ten years old Andrea learned that her mother was HIV positive. Andrea struggled throughout her childhood to fit in, as she attended multiple schools and was displaced from home...See more
The self-proclaimed epitome of "A Beautiful Struggle", 31-year-old Andrea Walker stands firm on her title. She is the mother of five, three of which she is the biological mother of; two who are her nieces that she single handedly raised from the young age of seventeen. After being abandoned with family members, at just ten years old Andrea learned that her mother was HIV positive. Andrea struggled throughout her childhood to fit in, as she attended multiple schools and was displaced from home before finally graduating from Imhotep Charter School. Though short lived, Andrea attended college at Delaware State University as a means to escape her unstable and troubled home life. Faced with the ultimatum whether or not to drop out of college or to step in and care for her young nieces, it was at this point, when Andrea decided to pursue her dreams of becoming a writer. At the tender age of eighteen Andrea's manuscript gained the attention of New York Times Best Selling Author Terri Woods, but Andrea was too consumed with parenting to fully dedicate her time to writing. Her dreams were halted as she climbed the corporate ladder in healthcare management. At the age of twenty-nine years, Andrea became the youngest black, female Director at her company. Currently the Founder of iROC (Intelligently. Redefining. Our. Culture), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide children and families within the community a vast amount of resources, to nurture, mold and develop a superior view and understanding of the importance of knowledge. In addition iROC places extreme emphasis on HIV/AIDS out reach and awareness. Through iROC, Andrea personally provides mentoring resources to young women who struggle with issues ranging from college selection, career goals and achievement, becoming an entrepreneur, overcoming daily obstacles and one that Andrea is truly no stranger to; defying the odds. The HIV/AIDS activist and advocate serves as a change agent within her community by assisting other non-profits with developing and sustaining their organizations. Such organizations include Chains Inc. and As I Plant This. To date, iROC has impacted hundreds of lives in the Philadelphia area through several community programs including but not limited to iROC's annual Father Daughter Dance and annual Know Your Status Campaign and Red Tie Event. See less
Andrea Walker's Featured Books