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Dr. Salisha Allard-Blaisdell, PhD, is the first Black woman to defend a PhD at Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington. Through her body of work, Salisha highlights how young persons living within socioeconomically disadvantaged communities can benefit from participating in extracurricular activities.
For this Grenadian, this historical achievement is a welcomed win after breaking the cycle of poverty and childhood trauma.
Salisha was born and raised in Grand Mal, St. George’s, Grenada where she defines her childhood as simple and humble.
“I was born and raised in poverty. When I lived in mainland Grenada, we had food because my father was a farmer, and he planted lots of fruits and crops. But, we did not always have good clothes and other essentials. When I lived on the sister island of Carriacou, there were times when I had absolutely nothing to eat. My mother died when I was 9 years old. Then, my dad died when I was fifteen, it hit me hard. I knew then that my only pathway to a quality life was education”, Salisha Allard-Blaisdell, Ph.D.
Following the passing of her parents, Salisha was adopted by Ken and Sharalee Blaisdell and moved to the United States. There, she leaned into the power of education and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English from Brigham Young University-Hawaii, a Master of Public Administration from Rutgers University, a Master of Applied Leadership Theory, and a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from Northwest University.
Salisha’s progress, through higher education, was harnessed through the resilience that she developed as a child. This resiliency is a skill that she speaks openly about and highlights in her research and community work.
“Resilience is the ability to bounce back from hardships. It is about not giving up and not settling for less than you deserve. Hardships are inevitable but we are all deserving. When I think of resilience, I envision an individual persevering with a positive self-image and belief that they can overcome the obstacles in their way. Resilience is reflected in youth who despite living within socioeconomically disadvantaged communities, continue to press forward. The 150 Grenadian youth who participated in my study re-fueled my commitment to positive youth development. I must also add that women, especially Black women, are exceedingly resilient. Every day we are confronted with one ‘gendered’ or at times both, ‘gendered’ and ‘colored’ biases, yet we keep showing up. Resilience have a way of empowering us.
For us Caribbean women, we have our unique mountains to climb. I will encourage that we as women show up in our power. We need to be bold, brave, and aspiring. To thrive, we have to aspire to be better, and we have to work towards that aspiration. There is no doubt we will have so many hurdles that are beyond our control. But I truly believe that if we have faith in ourselves, trust in God, and aspire to become the best version of ourselves, we will make progress.
The truth is we may not accomplish all that we have intended, but at least we can get closer to our dreams, but it requires us to set some goals and diligently work towards them,” Salisha Allard-Blaisdell, Ph.D.
Thanks to Kaelyn
High on Salisha’s list of supporters is her daughter, Kaelyn. The 32-year-old mom considers her daughter as her main motivator.
“Outside of my unfavorable childhood experiences, I have been motivated to be a great example and role model to my precious daughter. I think she was my biggest motivation to complete my Ph.D. in 3-years. I wanted her to see and learn that she can accomplish hard things, but I also really want to get to spend quality time with her. So, although I began my Ph.D. program in July 2019 and was originally scheduled to complete the program in July 2023, I accelerated my pace so that I can learn, love, and grow with my beautiful girl”.
“I don’t know where I would have been without the incredible support of many. Miss Joan Hercules, a friend of my father in Grenada taught me to read. I was age 12 by the time that I learned to read properly. My God-Mother, Edith Phillip, and God-brother Wade Phillip from Grenada have been extremely supportive of my social and educational success.
I could not have achieved this goal without the love and support of my Allard siblings: Rachael, Kelly, Kim, Kendell, Nikita, Delon, and Ronzel, I love them so very much. I am thankful for the Blaisdell siblings: Keri, Misel, Jeff, and Brianne. Likewise, I cannot forget Gloria Mensah, who had believed in me even before I began believing in myself., I am forever grateful to each member of my dynamic community of support, named and unnamed.”, Salisha Allard-Blaisdell, Ph.D.
It’s a long way from her formative years in rural Grenada, and even now Salisha finds ways to honor her experiences and healing by prioritizing her mental health through therapy, and mindfulness practices.
“I will not say that I have overcome the trauma associated with my childhood experience, I think I am still healing. I sought support from a psychologist at college which has helped me going forward. In addition, one of my close friends from college, Donika Byng is now a clinical therapist and she provides support to me whenever I reach out”.
In additional to taking care of her mental health, Salisha is paying it forward and mentoring and inspiring a generation of leaders who may have similar childhood experiences as she did.
When she can, she presents and engages with groups on leadership, youth development, and resiliency.
She is also planning for her next chapter in academia and community service and has her eyes on establishing a nonprofit organization, an orphanage in Grenada and supporting the current ones in her home country.
For young women in the region who may feel ashamed or overwhelmed by difficulties in their personal or professional lives, Salisha recommends “asking for help”.
“One of the most crucial lessons that I have learned and would share is that everyone struggles. No one has it perfect, they may have the one thing that you are lacking, but they have their battles that they fight. So, in other words, there is no need to feel ashamed of the struggles you are facing either in your personal or professional life. Feeling overwhelmed is normal and it is ok to be sad. However, the most important thing is to assure yourself that you are strong, capable, and resilient and that you can get through whatever it is. Sometimes we can’t do that on our own, so you must remind yourself that it is ok to ask for help from someone you trust”.
Salisha also encourages persons who want to support young women in the region to consider mentoring.
“Mentors are a must-have. My professional mentor is Dr. Rowlanda Cawthon; she has helped me to navigate personal, academic, and professional hurdles. I like the saying that ‘no man is an island’ because no matter who we are or where we are, we always need the support of each other. My research committee, Dr. Thomas Alsbury, who served as my chair, Dr. Donald Conant, and Dr. Rowlanda Cawthon were important contributors to my academic success. I also received incredible support from Dissertation Warriors, a dynamic group of women leaders of Northwest University”.
“If you’re thinking about making a difference - find a young woman or a couple of them, and mentor them; share your experiences, listen to their ambitions and help them achieve their goals. To make a difference, I encourage striving to become the best version of ourselves because sometimes young people learn from looking at the character of adults. I strongly encourage that we make every effort to tell young girls that they are capable and that they can become whomever they aspire to become. Finally, I believe that we must advocate for a policy or systemic changes where existing conditions suppress young girls and women from accomplishing their goals.”
