Andrea Evans

State: Nebraska

My life experiences are important in the profession that I have chosen. I’ve had personal and life experiences with immediate and extended family that have given me first-hand knowledge of mental health, substance abuse, physical abuse, incarceration, sexual abuse, cultural bias, poverty, and teen pregnancy which has given me the resources and experience to help others in any given situation. As a woman of color, communities divided by culture/race is where I was reared.

I assisted with daily tasks of caring for my grandmother & grandfather at the end of their life. I am a single parent of seven children, a few with challenges that has engaged me within Individual Education Plan (IEP) teams, mental/emotional/suicide prevention/behavioral services, and the adult & juvenile justice systems. I have been reared to march and protest against bias and police brutality & Murder in our village. I have protested in middle school against the closing of our beloved “Whittier School” & the divide and conquer of our village. Restorative Justice, Racial Justice, and various Circle Processes are the passions that I have acquired on my life’s journey.