Hello there! My name is Tonya. I’m a public health professional seeking to promote autism awareness from a faith based perspective.
I started this website in 2009 as a way to connect with other mommy bloggers. At the time, I had took a break from full time work to focus on my son, who was experiencing a few developmental delays. I had no idea how life was getting ready to change for me!
Before my work hiatus, I had dreams of climbing the ladder of success in the field of public health. I worked in a variety of public health settings after receiving my masters degree in the field. I continued to build up my credentials by becoming a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES). With my master’s degree in public health and CHES certification, everything was lining up beautifully! But things were about to take an interesting turn…
My husband and I have two sons with autism. Our oldest son was officially diagnosed with autism in 2011. Our youngest son was diagnosed in 2016. As a result, I had to start thinking outside of the box in regards to my public health career. The typical jobs that I had before were no longer a good fit for our family. My focus is now on our boys and their well-being.
And guess what? There’s never a dull moment with them! They are both handsome, smart, funny and full of personality. Yes, there are some challenges at times, but we love them through it and learn more in the process about how we can become better parents for them.
My family’s experiences led to a career shift for me. I began to utilize my public health skills to promote autism awareness. I soon realized that there was a lack of knowledge about autism in the faith community. In 2016, I created the Autism Awareness Month Faith Based Initiative, now known as the Autism Faith Network. To date, we have served 35 places of worship, with over 10,000 people learning about autism! I feel blessed to be able to create more awareness and inclusive environments for persons with autism and their families.
In August 2017, I graduated with a Certificate in Digital Health Communication from Tufts University. I knew that the year long certificate program would help me take the initiative to the next level. In December 2017, the Autism Faith Network won Honorable Mention at the Patients’ View Impact Awards! The best is yet to come!
I never expected my public health career to focus on autism awareness, but I feel a great sense of satisfaction and purpose in the work that I am doing now! If you are interested in joining or supporting the Autism Faith Network, please click here.
Be blessed and thanks for visiting!
