by Jennifer Mistrot and Elizabeth Cook

OAKLAND (KPIX 5) -- It's not unusual for a Students Rising Above scholar to seek a career that enables them to help others. Shanita Perdomo has done that and much more.

A passion for serving others is a lifelong commitment for the 32-year-old New Jersey based social worker, rooted in her own tumultuous childhood spent in and out of foster care in Oakland. Perdomo's mother battled with addiction, and being a parent for her own children was a daily struggle.

"Ever since I was a child, my mom struggled with substance abuse," explained Perdomo. "I became a 'parentified' child. And as the oldest sibling, I was responsible to supervise my siblings."

Perdomo and her younger brothers and sisters struggled too. Day-to-day life could be difficult. And when Perdomo was in the 8th grade, she and her younger siblings would face another heartbreak as their mother was diagnosed with HIV.

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"That was pretty much the catalyst that got us involved in foster care," recalled Perdomo. "My siblings have been involved in foster care before, but it was actually my first time. And from that point, we went to stay with a relative and we stayed with that relative throughout my entire high school career actually."

Perdomo excelled at Oakland's Castlemont High School as she watched her mother's health slip away.

"So she was actually in the hospital my entire senior year," recalled Perdomo. "After school, I would go visit her. And I got involved with Students Rising Above."

Students Rising Above helped Perdomo get her own apartment near the hospital. The non-profit then saw her through high school and onto college at U.C. Berkeley. When Perdomo took full custody of her siblings Freshman year after their mother passed away, SRA, church volunteers and other community members helped the family with campus housing, food assistance and homework.

Her community's good will inspired Perdomo. After she graduated from Cal, Perdomo's career plans took her to the East Coast. There, a successful career in social work led Perdomo to found Yes! M.I.S.S. in 2021.

M.I.S.S. stands for Motivate, Innovate, Support and Succeed. The non-profit's focused on the needs of underserved young women and girls. But Perdomo says Yes! M.I.S.S. is also inspired by her own siblings, who are all high achievers pursing their own career and college goals.

"I think what draws me is the social investment," said Perdomo of her life, family and career now. "I didn't have anyone telling me to pursue this type of job or this type of career."

So far, Perdomo's business plan includes future mentors, field trips and career aspirations. But it's Perdomo's own lived experience that she says will successfully guide Yes! M.I.S.S. and the young women it's designed to serve.

"I want them to be able to apply for any career, any scholarship, any college...and to look at that application and not feel intimidated," said Perdomo. "It's in the name, Yes! M.I.S.S. I want them to see themselves as a leader."