St. Pete is celebrated for its fabulous weather, beautiful vistas, world-class food scene, and thriving cultural atmosphere but the people of St. Pete truly make this city something special. In appreciation, each month Green Bench shines a light on one of the many people that make St. Pete unique.
This month we are focusing our attention on St. Petersburg Free Clinic’s We Help Fresh Pantry Program Director, Nikki Whitehead. Looking back at her journey, she feels as if she’s been preparing for this role her entire life.
Finding Her Path: A Foster Care Success Story
Whitehead’s childhood was tumultuous. Frequent moves meant that by the time she reached high school, she had attended four elementary schools and three middle schools in the Tampa Bay area. At 14, her relationship with her mother grew so volatile that ultimately her mom gave up her parental rights and allowed Whitehead to enter the state foster-care system. Once removed from a “toxic environment,” she thrived during the four years she lived with the same foster family, even earning a scholarship to attend college. After a year of working and attending classes, she decided to pursue a career in banking rather than completing school. Today, she regrets not continuing her education, but at 19 she thought she had found the path to her future and was ready to get started.
Navigating a Twisting Path
Two years after leaving school to work full-time, Whitehead felt stuck. Wanting a change, she moved to Maryland with a friend, started a new job at a hotel, and even did some runway modeling on the side. When her longtime boyfriend drove up from Florida, declared his love, and asked her to come back, she did. A year later, they were no longer a couple, but they were expectant parents. Determined to be a present and positive role model in her child’s life, she decided to shift career paths. Wanting to “help people,” she became a life coach and a live-in aide for a young woman (Jessica) with spina bifida. For the next six years, Whitehead and her son, Sean, shared a home and their lives with Jessica. As Whitehead moved closer to 30 and Sean started school, she knew it was time for a change. With her sister prepared to step in to take her place with Jessica, Whitehead felt secure enough to move forward.
The Path Comes Full Circle: Changing Lives
Whitehead found a job helping to connect people recovering from work-related injuries with positions in nonprofit organizations. Quickly earning several promotions, she was able to get her own place. For the first time, she and Sean had a home of their own, with no roommates. She also rediscovered her high school passion for playing football and joined the Tampa Bay Inferno as defensive cornerback and end. As her company grew, it also grew more “corporate” and less “joyful,” she says. Whitehead left her management position and briefly worked from home during the height of the COVID pandemic for a home-health aide company. Her goal, however, remained: She wanted to find a place where she could “be a voice for those who can’t speak.” Last spring, the St. Petersburg Free Clinic (SPFC) reached out, and Whitehead “fell in love” with the opportunity. As her foster family did for her, she now has the opportunity to change lives by offering a helping hand with dignity. Whitehead says she feels as if her path has come full circle.
