Danita Summers graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a Bachelor’s on Business Administration and a focus on accounting. She worked in Corporate America in accounting for 5 years and says she always envisioned herself working for a big corporation in a nice shiny building, “wearing really cute clothes.” Danita flipped the script when she left her corporate job to walk in purpose.” I had the pleasure of meeting Danita through one of my best friends and this interview was great for my soul so I’m extremely excited to share it with you!
BGP: What does it mean to you to be a black girl with purpose?
Danita: To me, to be a black girl with purpose means to be a girl or woman who’s moving in faith. The thing about living in purpose is that God may give you a vision of where you’re going but you have to remain faithful and trust in Him to get you there.
Purpose is not going from A to Z overnight. Every letter in between is important. Every step you take is a part of your purpose. Sometimes He’ll just give you that nudge and it’s crazy how many doors will open when you take that first step. It’s showing God that He can trust you with little so that He can trust you with much.
You never fully arrive because just when you get there – God calls you to a new thing. Whether it’s bigger or within the same field. You may make it to where God gave you the vision of but you’re not done.
BGP: When did you feel like you realized your purpose or first got a glimpse of what your purpose is?
Danita: I’m still in the process of discovering it. It’s like a flower. It takes a while to blossom but you can still recognize it’s beauty. I would say it was when I was first working at Pacific. I was pretty high up so I had flexibility in my role. They were really big on community service and I got the opportunity to work with a friend who shared my heart for service. We got to work with a girls group. That’s when I saw that I wasn’t walking in my purpose. I had tried things without God. I tired things I thought would make me happy and nothing work out. But when I got to see the girls and watch them interact and brought these girls to the company for a day in a life I realized “I love doing this stuff. I would do this everyday if I could.”
BGP: What is the hardest part about walking in your purpose?
Danita: The hardest part about walking in my purpose is doing things when the only support you have is God. Doing things that the society doesn’t say is the right thing to do or the world thinks is the right to do. Even doing the things your friends aren’t doing. Sometimes I over explain what I’m doing – like when people ask me how I would quit a good job? Or why I don’t have one now?
It’s all about remaining firm in what you know. I’ve been very blessed because my family has been very supportive. I realized how fortunate I am. A lot of people don’t have that. My dad had a little concern but the more that I spoke God’s truth to him, the more at ease he felt.
It’s all about remaining firm in what you know.
BGP: What would you say to someone who doesn’t know where to start to find their purpose?
Danita: I would say to remember that our plans are not His plans. So although we may have our life mapped out a certain way – we must always pray that God will remove your desires from our hearts and implant His. I have had times where I tried to move without God and those things failed because those things were outside of His will. When you pray for God to lead you, He’ll plant his desires in your heart and open doors you can’t even imagine. Accepting and embracing this is the key to so much. It’s all about not trying to rewrite what God has rewritten. Knowing God’s calling is greater and that is better is best. His best is better than anything you could imagine as what’s best for you.
I have had times where I tried to move without God and those things failed because those things were outside of His will.
This year, Danita embarked on an Empowerment Project with the launch of her ‘Saved By Grace’ t-shirt. Profits go to advance the movement of empowering young girls and showing them that they are not defined by the statistics that society attempts to charge them with. You can support her ministry by purchasing a Saved By Grace Tee. Just click on the photo!
