When they were younger, many women looked up to their mothers. Michigan City Local Tiara Land still strives to be like her mother. Her mother was a single mom who worked several jobs to raise her children and instilled a strong work ethic into them. Land would go with her mother to work – her mom was working at a daycare – and this is where she fell in love with the idea of having a job where she could work with children.
“My mom inspired me. She's not a teacher or anything, but she was a single mom, and I just like how she showed her love for us in raising us while working all the time,” Land said. “ After seeing her do all of that, I just knew I've always wanted to work with kids.”
Land currently works at Barker Middle School as a paraprofessional for the special education classroom in the morning. Right after school lets out, she is going to the Michigan City Boys & Girls Club to work in her role as program leader. Land has been with both jobs since 2018 after seeing a post online for employment. She applied and has loved every second since. She said she absolutely loves what she does every day at both Barker and the Boys & Girls Club.
“Being able to teach the kids and being there for them is the best part,” said Land. “It’s creating that safe place and becoming someone they can come to and look up to.”
Land wants to be a good role model for the children she works with and strives to be like her mother, so she puts life into everything she does. Her younger sister, Tava Daniels, looks up to Land, who has helped inspire Daniel’s career path, which means the world to Land.
“It just makes my heart happy that she even looks up to me like that,” Land said. “I definitely like to be a positive role model, and to be that for her really makes me happy.”
Family is huge for Land. She loves being with her family, planning things or just hanging out. She comes from a big family that loves to spread positivity and have a good time, and she takes those principles to work. She wants to be a friend, a role model, a safe palace and anything else that she can be. She has a true heart and passion for helping children. As of right now, Land would like to go back to school to obtain a degree in either teaching or counseling.
“I'm definitely a family-oriented person, so any chance I get that I can spend with my family, I try to do that,” Land said. “When it comes to the kids, it's not just a job; it's like a family.
Outside of working both jobs, Land loves to spend time with loved ones and friends. If she isn’t spending time with her family or friends, Land loves to shop.