LaKisha Holmes was diagnosed with congenital glaucoma at birth.
At 12 years old, she was told she would be completely blind by her next birthday.
That hasn’t happened yet. She’s 34 years old and despite major vision loss, she lives life to the brim.
Currently, she serves as the Lighthouse’s Transition to Work Program Supervisor, this means she's responsible for planning and implementing weekly lessons for her students with differing abilities, ages 18-24. Her lesson plans prepare them for internships and future employment, as well as to live life independently.
Most importantly though, she serves as a role model for them.
“It’s important that they see someone like them living a normal, fulfilling life,” LaKisha said. “They can go to college, have a career, raise a family.”
It’s her purpose.
“I have two sisters and I was the only one born with this eye condition, so I would always ask my mom: ‘why was I chosen for this? why me?’ and now I know,” LaKisha said. “This is what I'm supposed to be doing.”
In addition to working full-time, LaKisha is earning her master’s degree in rehabilitative counseling from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. She earned a 4.0 GPA last semester and will be graduating this year.
She hopes to open her own mental health practice to not only help young adults get comfortable with their blindness but to teach them how to advocate for themselves.
LaKisha and her partner are both blind and have two kids, ages 5 and 3.
In addition to being a mom, Lakisha is an active community member serving in parent leadership roles in her children’s school, she's the treasurer for the local Beep Baseball team and runs her own small business.
