A typical day for Junior Dameonia Alexander Johnson-Meadows looks like waking up in the morning and performing her daily routine and spending the day at school. Depending on the season, she may have basketball practice or mock trial, then she has to watch her brother and finishes her night with homework.

Alexander is the eldest of her three siblings. One of those siblings being her two year old brother who she has the responsibility of helping her mom take care of.

She shared the ways in which she helps take care of him; she said, “I take care of my brother by playing with him and his toys, getting him away from the tv and electronics, and I feed him, change his diaper, and more.” 

With all of the responsibilities Alexander has, both inside and outside of the school building, shared how balancing it can be hard. She said, “…it really depends on the day. Sometimes it’s hard to balance it and sometimes it’s easy because my mom doesn’t always need me, so I have personal time.”

She also expressed the effects having this responsibility has on her, she said, “…sometimes when i’m needed I can’t play in a game… or make it to practice, and that makes me look unreliable, but in reality I just have many responsibilities…it does take some of my attention away from school but I still thrived coming out with a 3.3 gpa, but I don’t mind it because it’s my family and that’s what family does.