Jamekia Sanders: Community servant and 'unsung hero' sees herself as a 'quiet warrior'

Those are among the reasons Sanders was named a recipient of The Courier’s 20 Under 40 honor.

She’s the residential supervisor for the Waterloo Women’s Center for Change – a facility that houses women who are transitioning from prison to the community or are on probation. At 36, she’s the youngest person in management at the center.

She used to work as a juvenile court specialist for the juvenile correction services in Black Hawk County but said there was no opportunity for advancement. She also realized the cause and effects of children who found themselves in trouble.

“If parents aren’t stable, it’s harder for kids,” Sanders said. “In turn it changes kids’ lives.”

Before her jobs in correctional services, she worked at Lederman Bail Bonds in downtown Waterloo.

Her passion for helping people escalated while working there.

“Everyone would tell me their story … those they were around and decisions kept snowballing,” Sanders said. “If someone intervened, it wouldn’t have happened.”

Before her career started, Sanders attended the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, and graduated in 2007 with a degree in business management and human resources. During her tenure at UNI, she worked full-time at Walmart in a management position.

She continued working there after graduation. She worked over 40 hours a week at both the correctional facility and Walmart, eventually buying her own house at age 25.

According to a 2009 Courier story, Sanders became a homeowner thanks to an Iowa Credit Union Foundation program. The program matched Sanders’ earnings dollar for dollar. She was the third Iowan to finish the program.

Sanders obtained her master’s degree in leadership from Grand Canyon University in 2013.

Sanders was born in Mississippi but moved to Waterloo at age 5. She attended 10th and 11th grades in Mississippi and 12th grade in Indiana. She made the moves after not being able to find a job while a high school student in Waterloo.

She and her four siblings were raised by a single mom. Sanders said she was never in any extracurricular activities in school. The once quiet child said she “never had anyone speak life into me.”

She still calls herself a “quiet warrior,” along with her friend Qulishia Williams. Williams nominated Sanders and is also a 20 under 40 winner this year.

“(Jamekia) is not just a servant at her place of work but also in the community,” Williams said in her nomination form. “Jamekia is definitely an unsung hero and deserves recognition for what she does in our community.”

Apart from work, Sanders dedicates much of her time to volunteering.

She is the growth track host at Hope City Church, where she helps introduce people coming into the church. She’s also a part of “Serve the City” – an initiative put on by the church to help community members with things like yard and house clean-up and serving food.

She’s also the coordinator for the Junior Cotillion, which acknowledges Black eighth-grade girls in the community. She helps host etiquette classes, Q&As with high school girls and teach the girls how to be successful.

She participates in Junior Achievement, which helps children with financial career readiness. Sanders also works concessions and admissions for the Loo League basketball team and braids young girls’ hair at back-to-school events.

“I got into serving and helping people by being rooted in the church and getting fulfillment from helping others, seeing a smile and making a difference,” she said. “It changes you as a person and you take their story with you.”

With her slew of work and volunteering, Sanders said she appreciates her husband, Ross, for being a listening ear.

She said her two children, Amarrie, 14, and Ava, 5, also keep her busy.

“Parenting keeps my mind off the job until the phone rings,” she said.