Ki Ogunyemi, 28

Born in Oklahoma, Ki Ogunyemi was one of many children in her family who were adopted. Because of her large family, Ogunyemi learned how to be self-reliant at an early age, and feels a personal connection to her husband’s workplace, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of SWMO.

Although her parents, who share a different race than her, were not religious, Ogunyemi attributes much of her success in life to her faith. She marks the beginning of her relationship with God to when she attended private school, the only one out of all her siblings to do so. In high school, Ogunyemi continued to attend church solo. “I didn’t grow up in a loving [or supportive] home,” Ogunyemi says. “I didn’t grow up with parents who gave me much direction, and I know that a lot of children grow up without direction, and they rebel and go off in a different direction, but with me I feel like I always stayed along the straight and narrow, and I don’t even have a reason for that.”  

Because she was used to making her own way, Ogunyemi says she feels like she developed a strong personality and values independence. After graduating high school, she attended both Missouri State University and a technical school. She is now a dental assistant at Jordan Valley Community Health Center.