Single mother Lakisha Bartley often looked at her daughter and saw a second chance at the dream she never had the opportunity to pursue.

“I was a talented young girl growing up, but I was not given the opportunities or tools to become successful. Not because my mother didn’t believe in me, but back then it wasn’t so easy for her to get the resources that were necessary to propel me to the next level,” the 37-year-old recalled.

“What I did was cultivate that same talent in my daughter. I have been moulding it and now I have seen where it is in full bloom. When I saw how talented and bright she was, I made a vow that the opportunities I didn’t get, I would create them for her.”