Daily Inspiration: Meet Eileen Forbes-Hill

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eileen Forbes-Hill.

Hi Eileen, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Los Angeles, CA to immigrant parents, a Jamaican father and a Guatemalan mother. My father was an engineer and my mother was a homemaker. I attended public LAUSD schools through 2nd grade and was moved to private school upon the completion of my 2nd grade year due to some pretty severe bullying and the lack of challenging educational opportunities that were available within the public-school system. It was at that time that I knew I wanted to change the educational landscape available to low-income youth and underserved schools. My parents made quite the sacrifice to send me to a private school and had the public school across the street from my house had more opportunities the financial strain would not have been so intense.

I created a book club for myself and the other kids in my low-income neighborhood when I was about nine. Most of us were black and we were all in elementary. Everyday, we met in garage and my mom would prepare a snack for us, we read highlights magazine, national geographic for kids or another books. We all sat in my garage and just read, I always loved educating others or supporting their education. During that time a local neighborhood bully who was not a fan of me pulled a gun on me and held it to my face. At that moment, I could not think. I was frozen in time and the only thing I could mutter was, “please” in a low-pitched voice. The parent of one of my friends who was nearby ran over, stepped in and diffused the situation. Although it was the first time my life that I was threatened for wanting to create a positive change on my block, I knew it would not be the last.

I operated the book club for about two years and then transitioned to tutoring 1st graders after school in my old first grade classroom. Although I was only 11, I loved being the teacher’s assistant after school and during my summer breaks.

My father was my inspiration. He was intelligent, kind, strong, patient and truly an all-around amazing human being, I wanted to be just like him! I lost my father at the age of 12 due to ALS and that’s when I lost myself. I helped take care of him for years as I watched each one of his organs slowly fail him. I helped bathe him, I helped feed, I helped him use the restroom and I cleaned his medical equipment each day. I felt the world was unfair that someone who gave so much of himself could be taken at such a young age. Despite the financial hardships that ensued for my mother and I my father’s passing his memory continued to be a beacon of hope and inspiration for me. The struggles that I endured, the physical and emotional abuse I survived made me stronger and made me want to be more like my father. There were many moments where I feared losing my life prematurely because of the violence that surrounded me, but my father’s memory and love pushed me through.

After excelling in High School, I went on to college at UC Riverside and received my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Ethnic Studies. I worked three jobs to stay afloat as I did not receive financial support from my mother. I worked as a tutor, as an event planner and in the intramural department on campus. I loved all my jobs for different reasons! I loved being an educator and I loved being expressing my athletic abilities. I didn’t sleep much, but I graduated in three years because I pushed myself extremely hard. I thought, “my dad is going to be so proud of me!”

After College, I worked as a program assistant in South Central. I knew that’s where I wanted to create the largest impact because that was the area I knew needed my skills, my love and my commitment the most. I transitioned to be a Case Manager and really poured my heart and my brain into each student on my caseload, I recall asking to adopt one of the students who was being neglected and abused, I knew what that felt like and I wanted to, even for a day, prevent someone else from experiencing that same pain.

I resigned from my position and went on to complete a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Mental Health Administration at Mount St. Mary’s University in Los Angeles. While in grad school, I worked at an inpatient facility for children ages 5-21 with severe mental health disorders and as a program coordinator for South LA infrastructure. I graduated from my Master’s program and became a principal at a local charter school in South Central LA. I loved every minute! The students, the staff, the environment, the capacity to impact change on young lives. Once again, I faced an incident of violence while visiting a local school to check on one of the students on my caseload. A young man held me at gunpoint prior to entering the school campus. Unlike last time I had words for this student because of my past experiences. I looked at him and looked at the gun pointed directly in my face and said, “You don’t wanna do this. You have so much more to offer the world. I am here to see my student who I am trying to help. I am going to walk away and so are you. I never saw you. Here is my card, call me if you need me.” I grabbed the gun, lowered it and walked away. I never saw him again.

After three years at the charter school, I welcomed a beautiful baby girl named Lina. Having her made me want to do more! I stayed home for about two years with her and decided I wanted to make to transition to higher education to PULL students up instead of Pushing students through High School. Being in higher ed would provide me a platform to be able to continue working with high school students, supporting their educational growth, providing educational resources and creating a pathway for them to enter into post-secondary education.

In 2017, at the age of 29, I became the Executive Director of Pipeline and School Partnership Programs at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU). The department blossomed under my leadership serving 217 youth prior to my arrival to over 2,900 going from having a few thousand dollars in funding to multi-million-dollar funding. The department is 100% grant and donation funded and we are always looking for more partners to expand the capacity of the work we are doing across South Central. I knew I had found my home to help inspire youth, provide educational programming and a clear and direct pathway into the programs at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. I wake up every day excited to make a difference and serve more youth. We provide STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine) labs and educational activities for students to thrive and receive exposure. I oversee six programs and I try to create programs that a younger version of myself would be proud of and could benefit from. The Pipeline Programs Department at CDU (www.cdrewu.edu/pipeline) offers students an equitable learning environment in the field of STEMM.

I am committed to continuing to serve under resourced and underserved youth and schools across South Central and California! I believe in equitable learning opportunities for ALL youth regardless of zip code, ethnic group or gender identification. I look forward to a long-lasting career dedicated to serving the underserved and I just getting started!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I faced some pretty interesting struggles throughout my life. My father had ALS and I helped my mother take care of him until the very last breath. I was physically and emotionally abused for most of my childhood, I do not see myself as a victim, but rather as someone who endured and survived her childhood.

During college, I did had to work intensively because I needed to pay for college. I worked three jobs and used my the light at then of the tunnel as inspiration. I knew I wanted my degree and was determined to do anything to get it.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
What sets me apart from others is that I use my past traumas to create positive programming for students. I love creating interdisciplinary approaches to learning and engagement. I like merging STEMM and Literacy, Global Health and Engineering and more!

I am so proud of all of the great work and great things I have accomplished thus far. I am proud that this little black girl and Latina from “The Hood” has become someone that other young little black and brown kids can look to for support in their educational journey!

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
The number one person who also deserves credit for who I am, what I’ve accomplished and what I still have to accomplish is my father, Derek. Who he was as a person is who I hope to become. The way he lived his life and how he treated people and his high levels of intellect helped provide me with a strong foundation for success despite his early departure from this earth.

The next person would be my daughter, Lina. She gives me so much inspiration to create new and exciting learning content for students. I also love creating platforms for students and parents to engage in learning together.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: WWW.CDREWU.EDU/PIPELINE