Meet Trish Patterson of The Community Connector

Today we’d like to introduce you to Trish Patterson.

Trish, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas with my mother and eight sisters and one brother. You read it right; there were nine girls and one boy. My mother wanted a boy child really bad (lol). He is number nine, and she tried one more time hoping for another, but there was another plan. My mother worked very hard to make sure that we all had what we needed to be successful.

Though I did not appreciate her strict parenting at the time, trust me as I have grown and had my own children, I understand and appreciate it. One thing, I can remember is I was never afraid to try. If my mother said it was hot, don’t do it. I had to see for myself, and I did it and ten out of ten times she was right, it was hot. I was the rebellious one, the daring child.

I moved to Texas in 1989 and was attempting to finish up college but at a crippled snail’s pace. When my oldest son walked across the stage and received his high school diploma, it was at that moment that the light turned on and the race was on. I was not going to allow him to complete his college degree before me. He did beat me, but I got it. I received Bachelors in Business Management in 2007 and 13 months later received a Masters in Business Administration.

I was working at an engineering firm while I completed my studies and while there I learned so much about adulting in the workplace, and I learned so much about myself and what I needed to thrive and grow. After being there, and progressing and growing with the company, the market changed, and I was laid off. It was devastating to me physically and mentally. I felt rejected and simply just not good enough.

Those feelings were even more ingrained when I could not obtain another job. My thoughts of just not being good enough was becoming overpowering. My routine became get up, take children to school, come home go to bed cry, get up, go pick children up, pretend all is well. And that was my routine for some months. Then divine intervention stepped in. God spoke to me.

I got up, got dressed as if I was going to work, dropped my children at school and drove around, was not sure where I would land, but I drove. I ended up at a local charity, where I went daily for two weeks to volunteer as if it was my job. As I am there, I meet the most regal and beautiful, Dr. Myrtle Hightower. She says to me “Precious, what do you do?” I explained that I was currently laid off and was not able to find work yet.

She looks me straight in my eyes and says, I think you would be wonderful for the school district and I said: “no ma’am, I don’t like children.” She did not address that I had said that, she picked up the phone contacted the district office and asked for the HR coordinator and said: “I have a young lady here that would be wonderful for the school district, I know you have something for her.” I listened, and she did not say “can you,” or “will you” but “I know you” and handed me the phone.

Now, I am in awe and really was like is this woman for real. Three days later, after getting all my paperwork, background check, and fingerprints completed, I am working in the district as a part-time substitute teacher. One month in, I subbed at the alternative school for students 9th – 12th grade and honestly found my calling. I was there basically as a long term substitute for four years.

As I worked in the district, Dr. Hightower would invite me to different events and listen to her speak and watch how those in attendance would sit on the edge of their seats in anticipation of what she would say. I affectionately began calling her Mom, and I was her Precious.

She would take me to all these different events, and I would meet mayors, councilman, councilwomen, presidents of colleges, presidents of hospitals, governors, and former presidents of the United States and at all these meetings she introduced me as her daughter and that what people remember me as.

I recall her being at an event and she looks at me and says Precious, you have to speak for me because my voice is weak. Well, needless to say, I balked at the thought of that. I explained that it was not me and I could not stand in front of people and talk. Her words to me were “you can” and “you will.”

And guess what, “I did” because she said I could. In no way, did I ever want to disappoint the one person that had put so much faith in my ability. Mom saw something in me that I did not see in myself. She cultivated it, and she helped me to embrace it. She helped me to understand that I have a voice and that I could and should use it for the betterment of the community and the people around me.

So with that, I became the former Vice Chair of Civic Affairs and later the former President of the Plano Community Form. This is an organization that gives scholarships to minority students in the city of Plano. At the alternative school, I wrote a FAFSA 101 curriculum that I would use to make sure the students there who were disconnected from their school counselors would have an opportunity to further their learning after leaving the school.

I am also the former Co-Chair of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Weekend Celebration Steering Committee and that is a committee of individuals that work to put off a weekend of festivities that would celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I am the current Co-Chair of Outreach for the NAACP Collin County Chapter and the Chair of the Juneteenth Collin County Steering Committee.

I am the Executive Director of Outreach for the Stopping the Madness AntiBullying Foundation, I also serve on the Non-Profit Excellence Workshop Committee for the Junior League of Collin County of which I am an active member, and I am the contracted Mistress of Ceremony for the Always Mother’s Luncheon Organization.

In 2017, I made a phone call to Mom to inform her that I would be running for school board and why I was running, and she says, “you finally got it.” I now realized that she was grooming me for this the entire time. Not realizing that was what was happening when it was happening, but I got it.

On this journey, there are so many that have poured into me.  I give homage to my other 2 others. Annie M. Cook, my mother because she taught me perseverance and determination to get the job done. And then there is my mother in love, Clara Patterson, who loves me unconditionally and lifts me when I need it.  I am often asked, “what is the secret” and my answer is always “get yourself some cheerleaders.” There is nothing like women who have did, done it, and still doing it but take the time to pour of themselves to others.

My life’s mantra became “If you see it, you own it.” My goal was to make the community that I lived in better.  When my community is better, my family is better. And when my family is better, I am better.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Was the road smooth? That is a resounding NO!! There were nine girls and one boy in my family. Out of the nine girls, I think I was the only girly girl. My sisters were a bit more tomboyish than I. I experienced molestation, and in my mind, it happened because to me because I was the girly girl.

I lost something and I searched for it in places and people that I knew deep down would not and could not help. I rebelled so much as a teenager that I rebelled myself out of graduating with my high school class. I was supposed to graduate in 1986 but did not because I did not complete the one English credit I needed.

Two years after I was supposed to graduate I went to summer school and sat in a classroom with students two to three years my junior to get that credit. I got my diploma and tried college, I quickly learned at that time that it was not for me at that time and I quit.

I started having children and that made school a lot less likely to happen. I got married moved to Texas in 1989. My husband and I were really too young to know how to be married.  I made the decision to stay here in Texas, not move back to Arkansas and try to make this move work for me.

While working full time, being a full-time mom, and going to school full time, there were many days I wanted to quit. There were many days, I cried because I was so tired. I even experienced two heart attacks in this process, but I kept moving. A normal person would probably have slowed down and tried to re-categorize some things. Not me, I kept going because I saw the end and I did not want to quit on yet another thing.

When I got the job at the engineering firm, I was so happy. But when I was laid off, I was confused.  But thought, I had two degrees so finding another job would be a breeze.

Because of the overwhelming feeling of rejection that I felt for being laid off and the overwhelming feeling being ingrained by every rejection letter from a potential employer, I withdrew from what could have been resources. However, I believe that all that happened to me is a large part of who I am and why I am.

His plan is the only and right plan. I was allowed to go through those things so that I can see and know that He is. He gets all the glory in all that I do. He gives me strength to keep going, and He gives me the courage to speak about His love for me, even when I did not love me, He did. And if it were not for all of this, I would have not met my Mom-mentor, and I would have not known the value of my voice.

The Community Connector – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I think all too often we measure our success by our job title or our business or company. I do not own a business or a company, and I do not have a glorified job title. I am an educator. I love what I do, and I am so thankful that mom saw that in me because I would not have been a profession I chose. It is definitely a labor of love. I tell my students in high school and on the college level that if I can give them a 10th of what Dr. Hightower gave me, I would be happy.

What I specialize in is my community. I connect individuals with organizations that will assist them. I also connect organizations with individuals that need them. I am a community advocate. I will advocate for students in schools, I will advocate for parents in the schools. I will advocate for individuals in the community who need assistance with organizations on the private, public, or non-profit sector.

So for me, my success measurement is how many people have I helped? How many individuals was I able to get connected to housing? How many individuals did I connect them and their family with food? How many individuals did I assist in completing the FAFSA form or scholarship applications to get money for college? How many students did I drag to the finish line to graduation?

I am very proud of all the work that I do as a Community Connector. One that I am especially proud of his the work that I do with Juneteenth, the opportunity to bring awareness to others about the significance of the holiday is a reward in itself. The idea of bringing a diverse group of individuals together to plan this great day-long event for a diverse county says that we aren’t waiting for the change; we are being intentional and creating the change.

What sets me apart is I know that what I do is not about me. It is about what God has allowed to be done through me. My feeling is when one is a part of something bigger than oneself; it is then that you find purpose and direction.  

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Some of my proudest moments are as followed in these attached articles:
-When I voiced to Mom that I was putting my name in the race for School Board.
https://starlocalmedia.com/planocourier/local-leader-announces-run-for-pisd-school-board-place/article_fb8efbaa-ea38-11e6-bc1c-97161a1c7420.html

-Chairing the Juneteenth Collin County Steering Committee.
https://starlocalmedia.com/planocourier/plano-nonprofit-brings-community-together-for-juneteenth/article_58f85892-73de-11e8-b70c-d31b1f1d31b4.html

-Co-chairing the Collin County MLK Steering Committee

-Installation to Board of Directors for Stopping the Madness AntiBullying Foundation

Contact Info:

• Phone: 469.573.3565
• Email: TrishDPatterson@gmail.com
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trishpatterson/

Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.