My best friend for ever 25 years Heather Claybrooks has been there through thick and thin! We both met in college and were roommates. Let’s just say we had a ball and partied a lot lol! She left college after a few years and I dropped out after being there for 4 years because of my financial situation. She became a successful hairstylist and eventually opened up her own hair salon. I also became a nail technician and opened up a booming nail salon. It bothered me though that I didn’t finish my college degree, so in 2004, I went back to school and finished up. After graduating, my college had a program where I could ‘pay it forward’ and nominate someone who I thought was deserving to go to school on a ‘free scholarship program’ and get their degree. I felt that my bff was worthy of this program because she had been through a lot of things in her life. Her kids father passed away in a horrific car crash.She was left with trying to mend the pieces back together with her family. I wanted to lift her spirits and do something nice. I decided to fill out the paperwork and nominate her. She was so surprised when I told her she was selected! Heather graduated in 2012 with a degree in Health Administration. I am so proud of her and glad that I was able to ‘pay it forward’ to someone who was so deserving! How are you giving back? Coca-Cola has a great program check it out below!

Because a great mentor can make all the difference, Coca-Cola has teamed up with Magic Johnson, Common and Debra Lee of BET Networks to give four young people the apprenticeship experience of a lifetime. Visit MCR.com/PayItForward to nominate an aspiring youth and help pay it forward to the next generation.  You’ll also be automatically entered for a chance to win $5,000 for each nomination you make (up to five nominations per person).

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Coca-Cola via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Coca-Cola.

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