Dr. Alicia Cooper Denton was born in Illinois and raised on the southside of Chicago. She spent most of her childhood in Illinois and Northwest Indiana. She attended Bloom Trail High School in Chicago Heights, IL and later graduated from Griffith Senior High School in Griffith, IN. Dr. Alicia Cooper Denton firmly believes in service and charity. Dr. Alicia began her public service journey at the age of 7 years old by helping prepare and distribute meals to the homeless. Dr. Alicia lives by the quote, “People will forget what you say, people will forget what you do, but people will never forget how you made them feel”-Maya Angelou. Dr. Alicia believes in always striving to be a better person than she was the day before and uplifting others. Dr. Alicia began her journey to higher education in 2008 at Indiana State University as a Social Work major, where she met her husband, Dr. Felix Denton. Dr. Alicia took a 6-year hiatus from school after getting married and decided to reenter the field of education in 2018, where she returned to college as an Adult and Career Education major. Dr. Alicia finally graduated with her bachelor’s degree from Indiana State University in May 2019. She then decided to continue her education and obtained a master’s degree in Human Resource Development and Performance Technology from Indiana State University in December 2020. Shortly after this, Dr. Alicia decided once again to continue her education and began the Adult and Community Education doctoral program at Ball State University in 2021. Dr. Alicia earned enough credits throughout this program to obtain a 2nd master’s degree in Executive Development for Public Service along with her doctorate degree in Adult and Community Education from Ball State University in December 2023. Dr. Alicia was able to maintain straight A’s in school from 2018 until 2023. Dr. Alicia’s dissertation entitled, “ A Narrative Study Exploring the Importance of Mentorship Programs for Young Black Women” has been nominated for two prestigious awards at Ball State University that include the Graduate School Distinguished Dissertation Award and the Teacher’s College Equity and Excellence in Education Dissertation Award. Dr. Alicia has an extensive background in assisting adults and children with mental illness with rehabilitation and social interaction skills. Dr. Alicia has a background in case management, child protective services, school-based services and much more. Currently, Dr. Alicia is the creator and host of the “Stories on the Counter” panel collective for Black Women. This organization is dedicated to amplifying the voices and untold stories of Black Women. Dr. Alicia is a visionary, maven, and advocate for Black Women, educational leadership, and mentorship. Please visit aliciacooperdenton.com to learn more about Dr. Alicia Cooper Denton and her efforts to advocate for the health and well-being of Black Women.