Sonya LaVonka Howell Barrow is a retired U.S. Army Combat Veteran who served honorably and distinctively for over 26 years in various organizations and deployments before retiring as a Chief Warrant Officer Five (CW5) in November 2018.

Over the years Sonya has provided encouragement by sharing glimpses of her life’s story for inspiration. She knows first-hand about childhood traumas and acknowledges that her life very well could have classified her as just another statistic in American society.

Thankfully, Sonya did not accept this as her reality and vowed that her challenging experiences would not define her. Instead, she made the decision to overcome her circumstances and improve the trajectory of her life and her children’s lives.

Following her retirement from the Army, Sonya is realizing her dream to be a published author. She is currently penning her memoir entitled, “She Is Me! Defying My Life’s Obstacles By Not Becoming A Statistic.”

She hopes that her story will be a blueprint and guide that will inspire others who may find themselves faced with difficult circumstances.