Working one job can be exhausting on its own, but it’s been said that if you find a job you love, you never work a day in your life. Coming from a single-mother household where she saw her own mother work while raising four girls instilled a strong work ethic into Tava Daniels. A Michigan City local, Daniels has been lucky enough to not only find one job she loves but two while also going to school.
"My mother worked and she put herself through school while raising us," Daniels said. "She's who I want to continue to strive to be one day."
Daniels works at a local middle school and right after work, she is clocking into her shift at the Boys & Girls Club of La Porte County. Between working both jobs, Daniels takes classes at the local Ivy Tech Community College to obtain a degree in early childhood development. Daniels loves her community and plans to ensure that her future career can shape the youth so they can give back to the community that she loves dearly.
“I feel like we're still somewhat of a small town, which I enjoy because I like the feeling of being surrounded by people I know,” Daniels said. “I also just want to give back to my community too because it's done a lot for me.”
Like many recent graduates, Daniels didn't quite know what she wanted to do career-wise, but after talking to her teachers and her sister, she knew what to do. Other than her genuine love and care for children, her sister was also a big inspiration for her because she would talk about how much she loved her jobs. This gave Daniels the push she needed to apply and has been working at both ever since.
“I had a few high school teachers that really paved the way. They sat there and listened to me, heard my concerns,” said Daniels. “I was like, ‘I want to do something like this. I want to show kids that there's still people who care about you.’”
After graduating from Michigan City High School in 2020, Daniels started working at Barker Middle School and then the Boys & Girls Club. At Barker, she is the school registrar; she started with just 40 children enrolled which slowly climbed up to the current 100 students in the system. At the Boys & Girls Club, she started as an assistant program leader, and as the years went on, she continued to climb the ranks. Currently, she is a program site leader. Both jobs sound wildly different from one another, however, Daniels says that both jobs require her to form relationships with the kids, and that’s her favorite part of working.
“I look forward to seeing the kids every day. Every day is different, and they keep you on your toes; it's always fun and something different, and I love it,” said Daniels. “I want to grow further with the Boys & Girls Club. We’re a non-profit organization, so doing things like our Blue Bash to raise money to keep our annual fees down and maintain that membership is important. Giving back to the community, even in this way, is important.”
When she’s not working, which is rare, or attending classes, Daniels loves to read. She wishes she could read more, but she wouldn’t change what she is currently doing for the local kids. Aside from reading, Daniels loves spending time with her dog and going to the local dog park.