#bldg92

My informational interview was on my cousin Tylah Milo who is a foster care planner at Mercyfirst foster care agency. She has received her Bachelors degree in Social Work and loves what she does. She became first interested in the field because she was a foster child with a great foster mother and case planner. She wants to give the same help that she reviewed to other foster children. In her day she revivers a caseload between 10-12 children and has to monitor them in foster homes. As well as that she also helps families get their children back. She works in a very diverse environment filled with different cultures and personalities which can be a positive and a negative. She deals with so many different people a day she has to approach each one differently and be mindful of their background. During my interview I could tell that she really loves what she does and how amazing it is to be in that field. She only made it more clear that this is something I want to do in the future.

        When it comes to the field of writing, there's a plethora of different fields one can partake in. Journalism, academic writing, creative writing, and columnists are just few out of the many. I find writing so intriguing because of the very idea that; one's piece of writing can influence the lives of many. Which is why I was so pleased to receive Ms.Gregory for my informational interview, she did the absolute same for me. 

       Deborah Gregory is from Brooklyn, NY and is the author of, "The Cheetah Girls" series. When asked the question of how her life imitates her work, she states that just as the character Dorinda, she herself was raised in foster care. She also talks about her being multicultural. Which is why when it comes to the Cheetah Girls, we see a variety in ethnicity take place. Ms.Gregory than says that, "she comes from a place of disadvantage" very much so like her characters as well. This question led to the follow up question, "Which Cheetah Girl is most like you?." Ms.Gregory says that when it comes to your characters, "Several of them will have parts of you." Galleria, shows her leader side, very determined with great leadership. Dorinda, as said before, reflects her time as a foster child. And Galleria's mother, Dorothea, shows her side in fashion. Ms.Gregory has modeled oversees in Europe and has a A.A.S degree from FIT. As all know, the Cheetah Girls was turned into a hit movie when picked up by Disney . . . Ms.Gregory says that she is very pleased with the way it came out and the success of the movie. "And finally, my last question was what advice do you have for writers in general ?" Ms.Gregory starts off with "Make sure you have some skills where you can support yourself." She then states that, "You have to go to college.There's very much about skill, you have to be college educated." And the final thing she said was, "Thinking that you're writing something to make money is a disaster. You're better chance is using you're purest voice." Which, I found, was very informative.  

     Deborah Gregory not only graduated from FIT, she also went to Empire State University. There, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree. She has written for ESSENCE magazine, GRACE magazine, Entertainment Weekly, VIBE, and more. Ms.Gregory is currently working on an adult novel titled, "Leopard Live" which speaks on her personal life. It will be out soon. Thank you.