VOYCETTA’S STORY
Question: Where are you from and how has it contributed to who you are today?
Voycetta: Originally I'm from Seattle, Washington. I moved to Portland when I was nine years old, so it’s basically my home – I grew up here. How has that shaped me? Well, I've seen a lot growing up in Oregon, and didn't come from a really good family. So by the time I was a teenager, my life was already headed in the wrong direction because I was exposed to a lot of stuff by the time I was eight years old.
I grew up in foster care. My grandmother's sister adopted me when I was seven and then I transferred over to meet all my family, but it was too late. A lot of stuff had happened to me in my younger childhood. I believe that has shaped me in a negative way because I thought the streets loved me more than my family. But with that said, going to prison and doing almost eight years of my life helped me turn that around.
Question: How old were you when you went to prison?
Voycetta: I was 34 when I turned myself in. I was a single mother of four kids. They were 3, 7, 15 and 16 when I turned myself in. Stealing some stuff out of the Lloyd Center mall got me eight years in prison, because of Measure 11. It was shoplifting, but how Oregon law is, they turned it into a robbery. So that's how they ended up getting me.
Did I deserve to go to prison? Yes. Did I deserve to go there that long? No, not for stealing clothes. However, God had a plan. I didn't foresee it then, but I see it now. While I was in prison, I came up with a plan of what my life would be. And I did this program called the Eyeglass Program, and it gave me a career.
I haven't even been out two years and I've accomplished good credit, I've gained custody of my younger children back. They were in foster care for four years while I was gone, people were telling me they were going to get adopted out. I was told I would never be able to swipe a credit card again. I swipe credit cards every day.
I don't even think about going backwards.
I got parole November 16, 2020, and I started working November 18, 2020. Been at the same job ever since. I wanted to be a nurse before I became a felon, so I put myself in a career path where I'm still helping people, and this time I'm giving back.
Question: What's something that you've learned about healing that you would like to share with other folks?
Voycetta: What I’ve learned about healing is that first, you got to work on yourself. I'm a survivor of domestic violence. I'm a survivor of trauma. It’s never your fault – everybody is going through something. It’s about what you want to do to figure out where you want to go in life. I learned that by taking classes, and I’m continuing to take classes. I'm not mandated to do anything, but I'm going to continue to grow and surround myself with positive people and learn from that.
Question: Who inspires you or has a big impact on you?
Voycetta: Somebody who inspires me is my aunt. Her name is Alverda McCoy – we call her Aunt Booby. As a kid, my mom wanted to raise me, but she was addicted to drugs. So my aunt had to remove me from a situation with my mom, and she always felt bad for that.
I watched my aunt get clean and sober in 1990 and turn her life around to God and she has never looked back. They told her she would never be off parole, that she would be on lifetime parole, that she was going to end up going back to prison. She inspires me because she changed her life and she gives back. She helps. Her love is genuine, and she loves God most of all. She inspires me to do that.
Question: How did you get involved with Women First?
Voycetta: Ms. Shannon walked into Coffee Creek correctional facility in 2017. She came to tell her story, and I was like,
‘Man, if she can do this, I can do this.’
When I got out in 2020, Shannon’s mom had called me to get me signed up for some of WomenFirst’s programs. I didn't start right away, because I was trying to gain custody and my kids first. They were way up in Washington state and I was in Oregon. So my first priority was getting out of child welfare.
My first class with WomenFirst was the I Love Me women empowerment class – that is one of the best classes Shannon has. I can literally go out to a movie or something by myself – it taught me to love myself, to know that I'm content and okay with being alone sometimes.
I'm also in the Multnomah Mothers Trust program, I'm in the Let’s Connect program, I'm in the financial literacy class. I got a therapist too: she came and spoke and I was like, ‘I want to do it. I know for a fact I want to do it.’ I'm damaged, and I deal with it every day. So every Thursday I go out to therapy.
Question: Is there anything else that you want to add or share about yourself?
Voycetta: I believe today God makes no mistakes, and everything I have gone through has a divine purpose. I know my life was going on a rough path and I know that if I didn't have the programs and support like WomenFirst, I wouldn't be where I'm at today. Positive people hang around positive people. You grasp onto good energy – and that’s WomenFirst. Shannon just cares so much about the Black community and Black women. Any program she has, she breaks it down and lets you know how it can benefit you. She's here for you.
I know that when I need her, she's there. Every program she has is beneficial to us women. I used to feel like, ‘dang, I’m sick. I'm so tired. Why did I sign up for this class?’ But every time I left that class, I was like, ‘dang, I'm glad I showed up.’ Some people are mandated to go to Shannon's program from their parole officer or somewhere else. If they just come and see, they're going to be like, ‘this is what I was missing.’