Adulthood – Age 25 to 44 – Stories

Ashley Nicole Cason is a young African American Woman, and HIV Long Term Survivor. Ashley was born with HIV, but did not receive a diagnosis until fifteen years old. She became public about her status in 2017. Since then, she has shared her testimony at conferences, schools, banquets, community events, and on webinars. Today, Ashley continues to inspire and encourage those that are also living with HIV and more. She is currently in the “HIV Stigma”, “Ending the HIV Epidemic”, and the “I Am A Work of Art” Campaign. Ashley strives to reduce stigma and bring awareness to HIV within her community and beyond.  follow Antoinette on IG @itstheantoinette

Flourishing with HIV is being confident in who you are, regardless of your status, title, or position. It is being confident in your story first, foremost, and always.

Ciarra “Ci Ci” Covin is an international maternal and family wellness expert dedicated to advancing the right to bodily autonomy for women living with HIV and their families as they navigate the lives they envision for themselves. As a woman living with HIV who has birthed two children (and breastfed one) who are HIV-negative while living in the United States, Ci Ci has become a respected and highly sought after advocate, speaker, expert, and facilitator in the HIV community and beyond.

Community are those that get it. You don’t have to much explaining or justifying, they just understand. I found my community when I found The Well Project.

Ieshia Scott is a lifetime survivor and motivational speaker based in Broward County, Florida. Former UCF Knight, Ieshia received her Bachelor of Science in Health Services Administration in May 2019 and a Master’s in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Management from Nova Southeastern University in August 2022. Currently, Ms. Scott is a Finance and Operations Manager, and consultant, assisting organizations with capacity-building services in client service, program development, program implementation, and community engagement.

Ja’Mel Ashely Ware is a 33-year-old entertainer, entrepreneur, and educator, known for his work in HIV awareness and entrepreneurship. In 2022, he became a proud seahorse dad, giving birth to a beautiful child, which inspired him to use his platform to raise awareness about gender diversity and the experiences of trans men who choose or desire to give birth. Born with HIV, Ja’Mel has been traveling the nation since he was seven years old, sharing his life story and inspiring people with hope and compassion. Despite being orphaned at the age of 15, Ja’Mel continued to pursue his academic journey at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, where he earned a degree in Social Work. He then created his brand, Intellectual Ratchet (IR), and became an entrepreneur, public speaker, and educator. Ja’Mel is currently working on his next entrepreneurial venture, but in the meantime, he runs Project Innovate, a micro-grant program of THRIVE SS. Through a curriculum he designed himself, Ja’Mel teaches aspiring entrepreneurs between 18 and 29 how to use their brand to reduce HIV stigma. In addition, his calm-rational approach allows him to connect and engage with diverse communities to transform their experiences into tangible resources for themselves and their communities.

Ja’Mel’s community contributors and developments have awarded him several awards for his hard work, including the Hope Award from I Am Human, the Pioneer of Resilience Award from Trans Life Awards, the Transgender Advocate Award from the Men’s Engagement Network, Young Entrepreneur of the Year from the Madison Black Chamber of Commerce, and the Community Spotlight Award from the Urban Community Arts Network. Ja’Mel centers himself through his faith in God and continues to inspire and empower others through his work, promoting healing, inclusion, and compassion in diverse communities. Ware is committed to making a positive impact on the world and follows the moto, “Live Life Whole. Be your complete self, and live life fully.” He will continue his educational pursuits this fall at Emory University Goizueta Business school to obtain his MBA in the class of 2026.

My name is LeSherri James, I’m 40 years old. I was born and raised on the Southside of Chicago. I discovered I contracted HIV at the age of 20-year-old during my studies at Texas Southern university. I am a single mother of two HIV negative children, a 19-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old son. I have been living with HIV for 20 plus years, I have been in the field for over 15 plus years. Advocating for HIV + mothers and babies working, with Mother & Child Alliance being the Vice President on their board for almost 5 years now. Being in consistent connection with NMAC for their AIDS conferences speaking on my personal experience as a black women/ mother surviving HIV. My advocacy has paid off for me as an individual which causes me to be rewarded with the “SisterLove, Inc” Honoree 2020 award during their annual leading women society award gala. Expanding my career at Howard Brown Health since 2017 doing outreach, STI/STD testing, linking newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS patients to care treatment. I’m always looking forward to growing not only as an Advocate but also an individual who lives in the shoes of HIV.

Masonia Traylor lives in Atlanta, Georgia. As an adolescent Masonia was vigilant about HIV testing and was familiar with how it was transmitted. During a routine annual medical visit, she insisted on getting an HIV test, and was told by the provider that she “wasn’t at risk”. Ms. Traylor found out from that test in October 2010 that she was HIV positive and two weeks later found out she was pregnant. Ms. Traylor was then forced to deal with regular pregnancy challenges, complicated by side effects and the stress of dealing with the diagnosis.  Today she has an HIV competent son and a healthy HIV negative baby girl. As a dedicated HIV Activist & Youth and Young Adult Advocate, she gives of her time using social media and community outreach to create awareness surrounding HIV/AIDS. She’s been featured in TIME Magazine, CNN.com, Essence Magazine, and campaigns with CDC and Kaiser Family Foundation. She has volunteered with nonprofit organizations such as ANIZ, Inc., AID Atlanta, the RCP Movement, Red Pump Project, CityWide Project, Sister Love, Inc., Ryan White Planning Council, the Atlanta Area Outreach Initiative, and the Positive Peers of Georgia. She currently dedicates her time and efforts on The Well Project and building her very own organization Lady BurgAndy.