I have known Dr. Erica Sheffield on both a personal and professional level since 2007. I must say that I have always admired her as an educator and a distinguished woman. I loved taking courses with her because she always made the material that was presented to us meaningful, worthwhile and valuable. To this day, I remember some of the activities where she taught us the importance of empathy and compassion for others. She made us realize what it feels like to be "lost" and not know where to go, but at the same time give us guidance and direction and how to trust someone. Dr. Sheffield herself is very empathetic, but also powerful. She is a woman of dignity and grace and presents herself in a manner that is not easily replicated. I admire her strength and remember some of the trials that she shared with me on a personal level. She smiled through her pain and the hurt that she felt, and without her telling her story, I never would have known that she had faced struggles so similar to my own. Because of Dr. Sheffield sharing her story with me, I was actually able to overcome some obstacles in my own life and felt comfortable enough to share my story with other women. I could not help but think that if this beautiful woman, with all her strength, can stand in front of a group of students every day and compose herself and not show a bit of struggle or sorrow or hurt, I too can do it. I have since been able to share what has happened in my life and am able to talk to others who may benefit from knowing another woman has gone through what they are currently going through or have gone through. Sometimes, it takes that one missing puzzle piece to make the entire puzzle come together. Dr. Sheffield was my missing piece. I am forever grateful for her.

I do not believe that the people we met in our lives happen by chance. God places people in our lives for a purpose, whether it's on our jobs, at church, personal relationships, or in educational settings. When I began my educational journey, I had the pleasure of taking courses under Dr. Erica Jones Sheffield. She has a sweet spirit and truly is a blessing to work with. Although she could be tough with instruction, she was passionate about her job. For me, hearing personal teaching experiences of others helped me a great deal in preparing for my own teaching journey. Dr. Sheffield always saw more potential in me than I could ever see in myself. For that, I am grateful. Through her leadership, I learned that you need to believe in yourself and believe in your students. If you are not serious about and dedicated to the teaching profession, then you are wasting your time and most importantly, the time of students. She taught me the importance of building strong rapport with them; those relationships are positive, impressionable, and long-lasting. Patience is important with exceptional learners. You have to find what works best with and for them. These are just a few things that I wholeheartedly believe and pratice. I can never completely tell all that I've learned from Dr. Sheffield's leadership and the impact it's had on my professional career. Overall, do what you love, and love what you do. I am a better educator because of her leadership. Thank you Dr. Sheffield. God bless!! ❤ -

I met Dr. Erica Jones Sheffield many years ago through an organization in which we are both members. Dr. Sheffield and I spent an abundance of time together doing community service and traveling for our organization. She has always shown love and is a true example of a finer woman. I've watched her over the years as we went from associates by organization to friends. Despite all that life was throwing at her she never wavered and always showed up and did her part with a smile on her face. If you didn’t know her personally you would have never known she was facing traumatic events in her life. Dr. Sheffield definitely helped me as a woman by watching her overcome many obstacles and continuing to press forward. Dr. Sheffield is the reason I now have my doctorate. I had given up on the thought of furthering my education and making a career change, due to thinking I was too old. Witnessing Dr. Sheffield make those same moves later in life, showed me that it was not too late. I will forever be grateful to have Dr. Sheffield as a partner in the community as well as a friend!