Hiyeeeeeeee! I’m so glad you’re here. And I think I should start by explaining my name. Adia (uh-dee-yuh) is Swahili, meaning ‘gift from God.’ As I get older and come to understand more about my life, much of my journey starts with this name.

 

And how it was born in the South. Columbia, South Carolina, to be exact. And anyone who knows me, knows I’m stating this proudly. To be even more specific, I’m from Northwest Columbia. Right off Broad River. A community with its own stories.

 

I’ve gotten so many stories from my family since my birth. Somehow, they've all collided with each other. But the one that remains common..is my very first one. On June 25th,1996, while the Olympic torch was passing through our city, I was coming out of my mom in three pushes. One for the Father, one for the Son, and one for the Holy Ghost. That’s what my Nana always said. Then, my aunt went on to name me 'Adia'. But no one can recall who came up with my middle name, Raichelle (ray-shell). But that day was my day. My very first chapter...as Adia. 

 

After I was born, my story goes on to be written into existence by a father I never met, an absent mother, and grandparents who did everything they could to give me the world despite what others thought about our surroundings. The combination of both my mother’s and father’s absence would go on to be wounds that shaped a significant part of my childhood, identity, and desire to be seen. 

 

My upbringing, with my name and within complex stories, both my own and the people around me, has directly impacted the Adia I am now, my interests in public health, and how I am blossoming with a distinct life purpose to center, study, and write the narratives of Black communities, closing the gap between Black people and access to liberation and safe and inclusive environments that promote well-being.

 

I leverage my creativity, versatile passions, talents, and expertise in both writing and public health to advance equity and wellness for Black youth, families, and communities.

 

As a writer, researcher, storyteller, soul-searcher, and safety-seeker, my current interests are in Black life, Black womanhood, child health, community care, emotional equity, felt safety, racial equity, and reducing (both external and internalized) violence in Black communities.

 

I am currently a Ph.D. Candidate (Expected: May 2026) in Maternal and Child Health in the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an independent freelance writer. Before starting my journey at UNC Chapel Hill, I completed my Master of Public Health degree in Epidemiology and a Certificate in Maternal and  Child Health at Emory University and my Bachelor of Science in Biology at THEE Illustrious and best historically black university in South Carolina- Claflin University. 

 

At my core, I’m just a Black woman with a lot of heart. I am blood and bone. I am colossal. Always courageous enough to do, think, and write the things that scare me most. Always willing enough to burn it all down (whatever "it" is)…just to rise again. I am my own story, and I authentically bring myself, my background, and my values to the research I conduct, the community I build, and the stories I tell.

 

And I hope that, after reading this and/or working with me, you choose to do the same. ​​​​​