Name: Yolene Deris
Instagram: @Yolene Deris
Parents: Port-De-Paix
Residence: Fort Lauderdale, FL
I am Yolene Deris, I am of Haitian descent with my mom from Port-de-Paix and my father from Jacmel. I was raised by a single mother, Marie, and she sacrificed everything for me to have a quality life. My first language was Creole growing up because my mom did not speak English and we lived in a Haitian community where everyone was Haitian. It was not until I started pre-school that I had to learn English. She invested heavily in my education, so I went to private school for the majority of my life and then I went to Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University in Tallahassee, FL in 2011. I was the first in my family to attain a college degree and I graduated with a bachelor's in business with a minor in marketing. After my mom got into an accident during my first year in college, I worked two jobs to complete my education as a janitor and a security guard to ensure that I was able to complete my education and did not come home without a degree. I wanted my mother to know that her sacrifice was not in vain. I graduated in 2015 and I worked as a territory manager for a National Home Security company, in 2017 my mo