Shenaya "Nay" Martin Johnson

My full name is pronounced Shen-A-ya. I'm better known as Nay. I'm a native of Boston, MA. I am a MOMPRENEUR, wife, and master's degree social worker. I have two angel babies, fraternal twins (Son-Asha & Daughter-Belle) and a premature rainbow baby boy named Logic. I am currently surviving life with Multiple Sclerosis, Scleroderma, Asthma, Vitiligo and a long list of underlying conditions. I'm at that point in my life where I want to be surrounded by like-minded and goal-driven people to enjoy life with while I can because life is short. 

 

I come from a single mother's home. My mother and I were diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. around the same age (27) in our lives. The main difference is that she had already began her motherhood journey with two children who are five years apart.  I was raised in luxury poverty. A gated community along the North Atlantic Ocean. There's only one way in. ID's are checked at the gate. There are amenities for residents like a neighborhood pool, the beach, a tennis court, a restaurant, a senior citizens building and corner store with a train station, bus stop, health clinic, grocery store, catholic church, daycare/preschool, elementary school, middle school, and college within walking distances. It's a diverse community. Elderly to infancy. Whites, blacks, "Spanish", Indians, Africans, Haitians, Cape Verdeans and so many other races.  It's like a city of it's own isolated off on a dead end street. Everyone knew each other. My maternal grandmother and paternal grandmother lived right around the corner from each other. The community was practically all family until the property transitioned under new management and there was a new start of revitalization. People started moving out and new people started moving in. 

 

It was very rare that I ever needed for anything. My mother and extended family showered my generation with materialistic items and life experiences to museums, amusement parks and other adventurous activities. There was no need to want for much since it was already being provided, but when it wasn't that's when my independency would kick in.

 

I was exposed to and experienced the "hood life" and "college life." One of my students labeled my persona to be "Sophisticatedly Ghetto," I tend to believe this to be accurate. I was "hood raised" and  "academically created." I had roles to play in order to fit in with the culture of both environments. I'm always eager to enhance my knowledge from all areas and aspects of life. I utilize new tools to further my success. I'm driven in independency and growth. My battle between the two, "book-smart" and "street-smart" gives me all the motivation to be the difference in new success.

 

I obtained my bachelor’s degree in Social Work at Bridgewater State University (2013). I obtained my master’s degree in Social Work with a concentration in children, youth, and families with a specialization in management at George Warren Brown School of Social Work’s Advanced Standing Program at Washington University in St. Louis (2015), which was the number one school of social work. That was my Harvard moment.

I became a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated (Spring 16), one of nine Historically African-American, international Greek Lettered sororities and fraternities of The National Pan-Hellenic Council. 

I have over 15 years of personal and professional experience working with and mentoring people. I enjoy working directly with children, youth and their families. I love developing and facilitating events, community service projects, creating handmade crafts and of course traveling.

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I worked as a Life Coach, Personal Care Attendant, Milieu Director in Boston, MA. (2019-2020), a State Contracted Foster Care Case Manager (2016-2018) for a non-profit agency in St. Louis MO, and a School and Community Liaison at a middle school in University City, MO (2014-2016). I have served for two AmeriCorps programs, Jumpstart in Brockton, MA (2009-2011) and City Year in Los Angeles, CA (2013-2014). I have many other experiences in the community and in different work fields.

I strive to lead by example. My vision is to inspire and guide people to broaden their horizons through workshops, discussions, traveling and other related events that will help them excel and evolve. My goal is to provide guidance to people that will help them become healthier members of our community and live the life they desire.