Tiffony Jacobs
Tiffony Jacobs' home was chaotic growing up with her parents physically abusing each other and their children. Between the ages of 9 and 13, she bounced back and forth between California and Louisiana, moving from apartments to hotels, motels, and homeless shelters. In her sophomore year, Tiffony found herself in Ms. Gruwell’s English class and part of the Freedom Writers . It was a relief to be there and also have friends and peers to talk to. This is where she found the strength and determination to have a successful future. Tiffony graduated from Wilson High School in 1998 and earned a Bachelor’s Degree from California State University, Long Beach in 2007. She works closely with the Freedom Writers Foundation as Outreach Coordinator and speaks to audiences about the resilience of humanity. “My story is nothing,” she says reflecting on the stories she’s heard from Holocaust survivors. “[We] can get through anything. I’m proud that I can pick myself up and dust off my shoulders, regardless of my circumstances.”
