Andrea Stephens

Be all you can be. Stay strong to what your goals and missions are in life. Listen to your parents. They won’t steer you wrong. Being a parent is tough. Sometimes you think parents are coming down on you. They’ve already lived this life. If you listen and stay on track you’ll be successful. Be true to what you believe in. Don’t get sidetracked. Stay in the right social circles. Make a difference in your community. Volunteer. Volunteer. Volunteer.

Andrea Stephens

My name is Andrea Stephens. I was born in 1960 in Bakersfield, California. My mother was a single-parent and raised my brother and me. She was a nurse that worked during the day and took care of us at night. She always made sure we lived in a middle class neighborhood, and there were not many minorities around.

I was a Brownie and Girl Scout growing up and we mostly did arts and crafts. I know now that girl scouts is about instilling in the girls to take on skills and using them as they grow. In high school, I was junior queen for homecoming, in cheerleading, and on the Black Student Union. I was a B student and very involved in my school.

St. Kate’s is the college I did most of my work, although I attended a few different ones. When I went to college I knew I wanted to be in marketing and sales and management. I had many jobs during and after college. I worked at a hot dog stand, Burger King, grocery store, and Merrill Lynch. I learned good customer service skills during these experiences.

I met a nice man named Stuart and we’ve been together for 23 years. We moved from California to Minnesota in 1994. We have two daughters and our dog, Tucker, who I call my little boy. Both of my daughters attended Wilshire Park, and I instilled the same values and commitment to the community to them as I had growing up.

I was recruited by the Red Cross to do blood drives. I would educate people to donate blood and then I moved to the bone marrow donor program. Working corporate helped me make a difference. When the Red Cross went out of the tissue business, I went to do what I do now.

I work for AlloSource, which is a tissue company that provides Allograft tissue for patients. I’m a regional manager and cover a four state territory. My job is to call on doctors and hospitals to educate them. It is nonprofit and I have to work almost 24/7 to get the job done.

I’m a working mom and I love making a difference in the community. I was a member of the Kiwanis and formed five K-Kids programs. I also am involved with the girl scout council and helping girls at high risk. When I grow up I want to start my own business. My passion is to help kids. Money isn’t important to me, making a difference is.