Community involvement can be an enriching experience, and UAGC graduate Damentia Wright is looking to elevate her contributions to the highest possible level.
A native of Ohio, Damentia remains an active community member in East Cleveland, alongside her roles as a business owner and mother of nine children in a blended family. Through her ever-increasing education and a desire to inspire massive change in her hometown, Damentia remains rooted in service. She owns a successful daycare center in a city with one of the highest poverty rates in the United States, and she is working to ensure the children there receive the best possible experience.
“I try to expose them to just about everything,” Damentia says. “I believe that you take care of others. God will take care of you.”
Success Starts at Home
Damentia’s past includes a series of ups and downs. After living with her grandmother for most of her childhood, her first professional move included enlisting in the United States Army in 1998, with her active-duty military service stretching over an 18-year career. Among several positions, she also served as an Army recruiter for eight years.
Today, however, her path is aligned with her family and career, and her direction in elevating her professional services connects to her education. Beyond a career of working with children, Damentia has a tribe of her own to care for. After a marriage to her childhood sweetheart ended, her four children turned into nine after they joined her new husband’s family. Several of her children are now adults, and her immediate community helps Damentia to face any challenges.
She recalls that one of her early academic advisors, Phyllis Stern, acted as a source of strength and reassurance while her family faced one harsh Ohio winter without heat, a narcolepsy diagnosis, and the various roadblocks of entrepreneurship. Throughout it all, Damentia pushes forward with grace and flexibility, along with faith that everything will work out.
“You can tell God your plans, and as he's laughing, he'll change them,” she acknowledges.
Accidental Destiny
Damentia’s introduction into her dream role in childcare came from another professional venture entirely. After her time in the military, she owned a successful real estate business for several years in Ohio.
Understandably, COVID caused a strain on both her tenants and properties, and she almost quit the industry entirely. However, one building that was meant to be a joint project with her daughter turned into her very own venture. While her daughter went on to open a salon separately, Damentia stayed in the building, turning it into a childcare center in 2023.
“That was only supposed to be an investment, but it was through that that I found my destiny,” she says. “I adore the kids. I love the energy that it brings. Even on my worst day, it's a good day with the kids.”
Now Damentia owns and operates Rated G Childcare, a daycare center in East Cleveland with high-ranking distinctions. The daycare center does more than watch children. Damentia works to provide a well-rounded experience for Rated G children that includes weekly library trips, science projects through an in-house program, museum visits, and field trips to neighboring Pennsylvania. Springs and summers include garden projects, and tutoring services are available to all Rated G children.
Education On Time
Rated G continued to garner such success that it inspired Damentia to return to school to further her commitment to the families that benefit from that positive educational environment.
“Once I realized that I loved it and that I really had the passion for the children and for teaching, I went back to school,” she explains.
Her drive to continue comes from the direct application of her UAGC undergraduate classes to her work — sometimes even on the same day.
“Once I started, there was no stopping,” she says. “Once I started the daycare, I was like, ‘I can't stop.’ Being in the field and learning at the same time was like steroids because everything I was learning, I was taking it back to work.”
Busy as she is, Damentia attended classes as her schedule allowed. It took ten years to complete her Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education*, measured by the age of her youngest daughter, who was born at the start of her program. Her time pursuing higher education was broken up between those demanding jobs and an exceedingly busy home life, so the one-class system at UAGC was beneficial.
“I'm a wife, I'm a business owner, I'm a parent. With all of that, I was able to hone in on that one class and really absorb what it was teaching me, versus trying to do three and four classes at a time and trying to pack all that in. I really love that,” she explains.
In her education journey, Damentia will continue to pick up right where she left off. She starts her master’s degree program at UAGC in September 2025 and plans to pursue her doctorate degree after that. Doing so will provide her with qualifications to make decisions on a grander scale. Along with her service-based business, Damentia ran for mayor of East Cleveland in the past, but due to her geographical location, she was ineligible for office. By boosting her qualifications, Damentia will be able to participate in her local government and voice impactful suggestions for her community.
“Ultimately, I want to be a part of some very large educational shifts for children in poverty and for underprivileged children.”
Beyond that high-powered involvement, Damentia also hopes to provide consulting services for other daycare providers looking to boost their curriculums and credentials and continue to contribute to the industry she loves.
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* This program is not designed to meet the state educational requirements for teacher licensure or certification in any state. Students seeking teacher licensure shall carefully research their state's requirements prior to enrollment and regularly review the requirements as they are subject to change. Requirements vary by state. Graduates will be subject to additional requirements on a state-by-state basis that will include one or more of the following: student teaching or practicum experience, additional coursework, additional testing, or, if the state requires a specific type of degree, earning an additional degree. None of the University of Arizona Global Campus online education programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), which is a requirement for certification in some states. Other factors, such as a student’s criminal history, may prevent an applicant from obtaining licensure, certification, or employment in their field of study.