Conversations with Latesha Higgs

Hi Latesha, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am a fairly new transplant to Georgia–I moved here July 2020. Currently, I reside in the Atlanta Metro Area (Clayton County), where I teach 5th grade. I am also the Founder/Executive Director of the DIVA Effect, Inc, a public/motivational speaker, a mental health advocate and an official In Our Own Voice (IOOV) presenter for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

As an IOOV presenter for NAMI, I share my lived experiences managing a mood disorder as well as the story of my brother’s death by suicide at the young age of 14. I am also the host of Inside the Chrysalis Podcast. This podcast is a platform to give others managing a mental health condition a chance to share their lived experiences. Our guests help erase the stigma associated with mental illness by transparently sharing their stories of hope and success. In addition to my membership in NAMI, I am a member of many other communities and civic organizations including Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

A native of Baltimore, Maryland, not only am I the founder and Executive Director of The DIVA Effect, Inc. but I’m also the program coordinator of its girls mentoring program, DIVA Dolls. From my grandfather, the late Rev. Dr. Nathaniel Higgs, I observed, learned and recognized the importance of community uplift and empowerment. I witnessed his genuine love, respect and compassion for others and dream of one day continuing his legacy of servant leadership by helping and strengthening others and their communities.

Since moving to Georgia, I have participated in a number of events and spoken on a number of platforms sharing my lived experiences managing a mental illness. I am now a member of the NAMI Henry/Fayette Affiliate where I serve on the leadership team. This fall, I will graduate with my master’s in Educational Leadership–this will allow me to serve my students as an Assistant Principal.

In my short two years here, Georgia has been so good to me. I have managed to connect with, serve and share my story with so many people and secure a new partnerships for the DIVA Effect, Inc. My desire is to continue my grandfather’s legacy of impacting lives and strengthening communities.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The roads I have traveled have been full of obstacles and challenges. However, I took each obstacle and challenge as a learning experience to grow stronger and wiser. In the beginning, I struggled greatly with getting the support of my ideas. I reached out to a number of people to get help in getting started–I even met and had lunch with a well-known former NFL player in hopes that he would help sponsor or direct me to where I could go to get the support I needed to start my program. He wasn’t much help at all and only connected me to an individual who would later steal an idea that I had–which he fully funded for that individual. After that experience, I was devastated but refused to give up. After about a month of my own research and planning, I figured out how to launch my non-profit and within a week, that’s exactly what I did. I got tired of waiting on people who weren’t really trying to help me–especially when there were so many in the community who were waiting and in need of someone to help them.

Another challenge is trying to manage it all while trying to maintain a stable and mentally sound mind. Mental illness runs in my family and I was diagnosed with a mental illness in 2012. My brother lost his battle to mental illness at 14 when he died by suicide. Some of the challenges I faced with my illness included a divorce, anxiety attacks, a viral video that landed me on the nightly news back in Baltimore, and broken relationships. Daily I work hard to maintain mental wellness–but it does not come without its own challenges. I often face stigma and rejection when my illness is disclosed but I never let it stop me from walking in my calling. There are days when my illness begs me to stay in bed or behave in ways that are “not normal” but I fight through it, remembering the people and students I serve and my purpose to educate, elevate, and empower them.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
In addition to leading a small non-profit, I am also the grade level chair of 5th grade at Huie Elementary. I have 15 years of classroom experience. I have taught in four different districts, five different schools, grades 2-8 and there have been summers that I’ve taught, mentored, and coached high school students. Prior to moving to GA, I conducted research on the school where I would serve and learned that many students from the area were coming from economically disadvantaged households. I wasn’t nervous about teaching at the school as I have taught in Title 1 schools for most of my career and am confident in my abilities to hold students to a higher standard of achievement, thereby improving classroom scores. My hope is to utilize my experiences in teaching in an urban environment and serving in Title 1 schools to prepare and train other teachers in the evidence-based methods and strategies I used to help motivate and improve the academic achievement of all students in the area. Additionally, I use my experience in education to help me stay connected to the women and girls I serve in the DIVA Effect, Inc. Serving in various leadership capacities throughout my career in education has taught me how to build mutually benefiting relationships and build trust among the people God has appointed me to serve and support through my organization.

How do you think about luck?
I don’t believe in luck. I believe in hard work, determination, and the favor of God–all of which were major factors in getting my non-profit started. Not only did those factors help me to get started in Baltimore, but to find innovative ways to move, re-launch and get started here in Georgia. Now that I’m here in GA, my goal is to bring unique experiences and opportunities to the women and girls that I serve in my organization and connect them to community resources that will educate, elevate, and empower. Additionally, I plan to continue my fight to erase the stigma associated with mental illness as well as raise awareness of suicide prevention.