About our Women

The first time Kimberly Longstreet tried to get an education, too many obstacles were in the way. “I was a teenage mother, and I tried to go to college at a young age. But I was not into good relationships when I was young,” Kimberly ... [Continue reading]

Hungry to learn and grow after years as a stay-at-home mom, Lacy Webb was looking for something. When a friend told her about NOSW, she agreed to enroll in an online program—but only to support her friend who was also attending. After the ... [Continue reading]

A chance encounter with a book was Brandie Lunsford’s introduction to the New Opportunity School for Women. At a low point in her life, Brandie was walking through a thrift store and noticed a book called Changing Lives in Appalachia. Written by ... [Continue reading]

Garnet Sexton has always loved books and writing. As a child she would sneak into her Dad’s room to borrow his books. A coal miner in Eastern Kentucky, her dad wasn’t educated but was an avid reader. “Before I went to first grade, I could read,” ... [Continue reading]

In her twenties, Gina Meyer was an adventurer. She visited multiple countries while a student at Northern Kentucky University. A professor encouraged her to apply for an archaeological dig in the Caribbean, and she ended up spending four summers ... [Continue reading]

People who spend time with Jessica Swafford will see her quiet wisdom and hope. “I’m always trying to find the silver lining,” says Jessica, who attended the NOSW residential program in 2008 and 2022. But Jessica’s perspective has been shaped by ... [Continue reading]

Edna Igo believes that if her work makes a difference for at least one child, it will all have been worth it. Edna and her husband, Emmitt, opened Igo’s Boxing and Fitness Center in Richmond in 2010. Emmitt had been a boxer and coach, and their ... [Continue reading]

Mia Mullins grew up in Virgie, Kentucky, got married at 16 and struggled with addiction. During her first time in recovery, her counselor recommended NOSW and Mia applied. In her essay she wrote that she didn’t want her past to define the rest of ... [Continue reading]

When Beth Minor first heard about the New Opportunity School for Women, she was a single mom with a four-year-old daughter and a baby son, living with her parents while going through a divorce and undergoing chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. But ... [Continue reading]

Angel Jones always wanted a career, but life intervened in a number of ways. She experienced trauma as a kid and was in the state’s care. When she got out of the system, she was past 18 and hadn’t had a chance to finish high school. She struggled ... [Continue reading]