In her developmental years, Dominique developed a speech impediment that threatened to inhibit her communicative abilities and limit her future possibilities. Instead of allowing the constraints of her disability to limit her, young Dominique channeled her energies into reading books. Reading kept her imagination alive and gave her a reason to continue living and dreaming about her  life’s possibilities.

 

Dominique developed a desire to write the words in the dictionary, and as she matured she realized that she had a fundamental admiration for words, writing and the beauty of the communications process. The intersection of Dominique’s love for words and communication are  now her “power place” and they’ve dovetailed to establish her passion for public speaking. Dominique’s logophilia also resulted in many reading, writing and communication-based projects - such as her partnership with a friend to design, plan and create a comfortable library safe space for resident youth within a local shelter. Complete with donated books and computers, the newly established literary space became the ultimate sacred room for vulnerable youth to study, read and write. That day marked Dominique’s life forever, because she was finally able to offer others something that had saved her own life - the hope and possibility of words.