The following is a guest post from our Social Documentary Training participants Michele Zousmer, Michael J. Costa and Sara Begley.

“Oh the stories I could tell you about Syreeta,“ Antoinette jokingly mused about her daughter. “From inviting every neighbor child in for dinner to the year she gave away the Thanksgiving turkey straight out of the oven to a homeless man, that girl has always been sharing.”

Syreeta at a Foundation for Women Meeting

You never quite know what you will find when you take on a project. The three of us, photographers Michael J. Costa and Michelle Zousmer as well as audio/interview specialist Sara Begley, became a team soon after beginning our ten-day workshop with Stirring the Fire. We were told the young woman from the San Diego suburb of El Cajon was beautiful and unique but we weren’t expecting to find the diamond in the rough that was Syreeta. When approached, she felt inspired to tell her own story of struggle in order to inspire women of all ages to find the resources for their own empowerment and success. There seemed no end to those struggles—abuse, illness, death, homelessness and unemployment to name a few. It made the way Syreeta eyes light up when she spoke of her “Big Dreams” all the more magical. With the support of her husband she became a licensed aesthetician and is determined to make a difference in the world of skin care.

Syreeta working with a client

“I guess it just makes sense to me,” Syreeta recalled. “I am still that little girl who wants to share even with my interest in skin care today. I never understood those in my industry who keep their talents and skills to themselves. How will any of us ever learn? How can we ever improve and grow?”

It is this concept of “sharing” that brought us all together for ten days in San Diego. As photographers and interviewers, we felt the desire to use our skills to make a difference and were led to Stirring the Fire. Phil Borges, an accomplished photographer and filmmaker began the company believing he could bring specialists in multi-media together with organizations committed to social change. That belief forged a partnership with Foundation for Women who are applying the Nobel Peace Prize award-winning Grameen microcredit model to help local women facing poverty.

Syreeta is committed to making a difference. She hopes to take advantage of the Foundation’s education and mentoring programs so that one day she can start her own business in skin care. But her big dreams don’t stop there. She hopes to give back to the community she loves by providing jobs and training for the next generation. Sharing, sharing and more sharing. We walked away from our experience inspired by what can be accomplished when we as individuals move past our insecurities and struggles and open up, looking to give back. Syreeta, Stirring the Fire and the Foundation for Women are determined to change the world.