Justine Currie is Making A Career Out of Her Calling, Leading Children to Create Positive Change
When Justine Currie decided she wanted to create positive change in her own life, she discovered her passion and purpose helping kids to create positive change for others. Now she’s pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Leadership Development at Providence College School of Continuing Education (PCSCE) so she can turn her calling into a career.
Currie is only about a year out from achieving her dream and a degree, but her remarkable journey is already a decade in the making – and her impact is already being felt by kids in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and beyond.
“I grew up in the Bronx and had a very successful career at JP Morgan Chase Bank in Manhattan, acting as the liaison between the bank and the NYC Bar Association. It was a big job, but I never earned a degree. I knew my field of business and was extremely successful, but beyond my business knowledge, I found that my conversations with other professionals often stalled because I lacked a formal education. I was proud of what I accomplished in business; however, I always felt a void and many times at a deficit because I lacked my degree.”
Currie left her career when she got married in 2002, and moved with her husband to Attleboro, Massachusetts, then to Barrington, Rhode Island, where she lives now. They had a son and Currie shifted her focus to raising him. But in 2012, she and her husband divorced, and she found herself looking for a greater purpose in life; one that would lead her to a career that she could be proud of while raising her son.
“I was sad, and a bit lost after my divorce and was searching for meaning in my life. I’m not the type of person that retreats, I’m a woman who redirects herself then sets out to find the silver lining. My faith tells me to trust and to embrace the good that surrounds me and that I have a purpose. I oftentimes found myself praying for a path that would lead me to assist children and their families,” Currie says.
“I started thinking about my upbringing in New York City, and how diverse it was in terms of culture, class, and race. Diversity was always a critical component in my life as I learned at an early age to celebrate the differences in my neighborhood and community. It was important for me to learn valuable lessons and show respect to people from all backgrounds and how they perceive the world around them through their lived experiences and cultures.”
“As a single mother it was important to me that my son experienced the same lessons in diversity and equally important was to teach him that all families go through challenges, that we were not alone. The message was always the same to my son, that we never know the struggles that other people go through. Some may be invisible to the eye, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t there.”
“It was through this message that I found the silver lining in my divorce. I was to model goodness for my son by assisting children and families who were marginalized and underserved. That is when I created ‘Our Greatest Resource = Children.’”
Through her new organization, Currie and her son enlisted the help of other children to raise funding and awareness for children who had gone through our witnessed trauma in the home. They collected donated items for six months and then hosted a large yard sale, where they raised $8,000 for New Hope, a domestic violence shelter in Attleboro, Massachusetts.
Currie says it was a transformative time in her life, serving others. Her deep faith gave her so much strength to persevere and to really start creating something special.
“I was so busy putting my energy into a project that served other people who had it so much worse than I did. I realized soon after starting the project that one of the many benefits of service to others is the people that you meet. I was able to meet so many community members and leaders who were dedicated to the success of the work that we were doing – many of whom have remained in our lives and are considered family,” she says.
That organization soon morphed into The Confetti Kids of New England, a Leadership Development and Service-Learning Organization where she teaches children ages 10-15 years of age leadership skills through service initiatives. Currie still runs the organization in her Barrington community today.
“Her children,” as she calls them, brainstorm and create projects while working together as a team. She also gives her children the tools they need to use their voices intelligently, effectively, and with confidence.
“The primary goal of teaching children to use their voices intelligently is to ensure that their needs are being met while raising awareness for causes that are important to them,” Currie says. “When you live in a privileged community it’s important to give the children perspective into the lives of others. It is equally important to teach them that not every child wakes up the same way as them. Disadvantaged children may not know where they are sleeping that night, or where their next meal is coming from. Teaching my children that there are other children living a life with little privilege is my greatest mission, she says.
“So, we’ve worked on a number of initiatives to learn about the challenges that other children face while bringing hope and care into their lives. There are 15 Confetti Kids, eight of which have been with me since the organization’s inception in May, 2019. During this time and through the pandemic we’ve raised over $30,000 for various non-profit organizations that work directly with underserved families and children.”
In October 2020, Governor Gina Raimondo invited The Confetti Kids of New England to the State House and gave them a gubernatorial citation for their service work. They raised $5,000 for the Veterans Transition House which assist homeless veterans restore their lives after returning from combat. The children raised the money by selling face coverings during COVID-19 and one of the children make handmade purses.
“That was such a wonderful experience which helped to catapult me to where I am today, pursuing my degree in leadership,” Currie says.
Currie decided it was time to go back to school and earn the degree she’d always felt she was missing. She earned an associate degree at Bristol Community College and then enrolled in the Leadership Development bachelor’s degree program at PCSCE.
Ultimately, her goal is to use her education to become a social enterprise entrepreneur. She dreams of opening a physical space for Confetti Kids of New England in Southeastern Massachusetts and to expand its programming and bring veterans and underserved children together to work on service projects assisting others.
Currie says she has witnessed on more than one occasion the skills that veterans possess and how they influence the success of underserved and disadvantaged children, and that there is a valuable link that bridges these two groups together.
“It is important for me to take what I’m learning in the Leadership Development curriculum here at PCSCE and pass these valuable lessons on to my kids,” she says.
“Our children need to know when to speak up for what matters and how to use their voice in a thoughtful way. It is equally important to learn critical listening. Listening, to meet the needs of those around us is crucial and just as important. We can miss many ques if we are not observing and listening to other people. This is a skill I was taught in my Leadership and Diversity class with Professor Kirtley Fisher.”
Currie says she’s already making progress toward her goals thanks to her experience as an adult student at PCSCE – not only through what she’s learning but from the connections and friendships she is making.
“And what’s so fascinating to me is that at PC, I’m not just learning through textbooks, discussions, and lectures; I’m gaining so much capital in friendships and support. At PCSCE, I know that I have a direct line to anyone in the office, any of the professors including Professor Eriksen who runs the leadership program; as well as my former professor Sarah Graumann, who has been a remarkable mentor and inspiration to me. I have access anytime to the writing center and the tutoring resources. The entire PCSCE is dedicated and invested in the success of every student.”
As part of her leadership coursework, Currie recently organized with her team a virtual comedy show fundraiser. She is now working on a project with her children inspired by her coursework in Society, Culture, and the Individual with Dr. Jessica Geier. Through The Confetti Kids of New England, she will be working on an initiative to raise funding and awareness for Education Action Fund created by author Jonathan Kozol who wrote Savage Inequalities. This project is reminiscent to the one that she created after working on a project for Professor Sean Kenny’s course Leadership, Theory and Practice. The Confetti Kids of New England raised funding to purchase $4,000.00 of brand-new books for Mott Hall Bridges Academy a school in an underserved community in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, New York.
Currie is also proud to have recently been invited to join the Board of Governors at Rhode Island Hospital as a service and fundraising volunteer. “This will be a new role for me as volunteer. I’m looking forward to seeing how it can help the success of Confetti Kids as well as how I can help the hospital by bringing my experience and education to the group.” she says.
Currie says her success also propels her to encourage others to follow their passion and calling.
“Education isn’t just about the individual, it is about the tools and skills the individual learns that enables him or her to share their gifts with others,” she says. “So please, let nothing stop you.”
“Investing in yourself and your education right now as an adult student will only bring you opportunities and a clear path for growth and development. My experience at PCSCE has been nothing short of magical as well as a place of faith that I will always call home. By making the decision to attend Providence College School of Continuing Education, my life has changed giving me a clear purpose and direction. But what is even better, is I now have an extended family at Providence College.”
