Lisa Eap,
alumni engagement manager


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Lisa Eap and her mother, Leng Eap



“Here’s a picture of my mom (Leng Eap) and I at the salon getting ready for our hair and makeup on my wedding day in December 2012 for the Mother’s Day section. The one thing I admire most about my mom is how strong she is as a person. She always taught my sisters how to be strong independent women. Because of her, I’ve learned to not be dependent on others, not to let others put me down or take advantage of me, and to have a large amount of value and ethics. Growing up, she would always repeat what her father said to her when she was a little girl. She said, ‘People can take away anything from you, whether that is your heart, your spirit or anything else, but the one thing they can’t take is your mind. It is your mind that will help you get right back up and face the challenges and do better.'”

Char Williams,
director, institutional event management and operations


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Char Williams and her son, Kwali



“Here (photos on the left) is the day I became a mom—while it wasn’t actually mother’s day, this was the first moment I met my son and our first night together.”

What date did you meet your son?

February 19, 2010


What’s your son’s name?

Kwali (pronounced Qua-lee).  It means “the truth.”


How old is he now?

7


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Char Williams and her son, Kwali


What do you like best about being a mom?

The reminder that life is no longer about me.  I have been entrusted by his birth mom to raise him and to love him enough for the both of us.