Meet…
Candace Hunter, a young woman who believes her struggles and obstacles helped her become the woman she is today.
What makes her interesting…
Born in Dayton Ohio in 1986, Hunter said she wasn’t perfect, but has always been inspired by life to overcome hardships. She attended Dunbar High School and graduated in 2006.
Hunter said she wasn’t the best student, which led to challenges for her in high school.
“I was a bad kid in school and [never paid] attention in class. It hurt me in the long run,” said Hunter.
However, that wasn’t the last challenge she faced in her life. Hunter became a mom at the age of 20 with her first child, Christian. Later down the road, she said she found out she was pregnant again with her second child named Kreistien.
The struggle started feeling like a constant in her life after she realized she had two kids, and was fresh out of high school.
“I was working dead-end jobs, trying to take care of my kids,” said Hunter.
While working on the job, Hunter injured herself, and she described it as a wake up call for her.
“When I got an injury on my job, and my job did me so wrong, I knew this wasn’t for me, [I thought] something has to change,” said Hunter.
She decided to go back to school and chose to attend Sinclair in 2013. She had her doubts about going to school again, but she knew it would help launch her into the next stage of her life.
“I didn’t go straight into college because my sister went to college and got into debt and I didn’t want to get into debt,” said Hunter.
With her dedication aimed toward education, she said she knew she had to make some adjustments as a parent and as a student.
“My biggest adjustments were adjusting my class schedule, and around my girls—making sure I’m spending time with them, getting their homework done and even making sure my homework is done as well,” said Hunter.
Being a single parent made Hunter grow up a lot and has also motivated her a lot.
“I just do it with prayer because you got to pray a lot,” said Hunter.
She said she gets a lot of support from her family which really helps her stay focused on her goals.
“My family helps me out a lot by watching my girls while I’m in school,” said Hunter.
Now, Hunter strives to be the best in school. She said it helps now that she has a major that she enjoys and that she is passionate about.
“I chose Communication because I love to talk to people and I would like to be on the radio or television,” said Hunter.
While Hunter felt as though she had to grow up early because of the path she chose, she learned a lot about responsibility and overcame the obstacles.
“Just do it,” Hunter said.
She said she just had to find the motivation to get through the struggles and took a risk to make sure she would be giving everything she could to her family, while finding the path she was supposed to be on.
De’Andre Stringer
Reporter