Staffney made her transition from Mumford High School to Wayne State University, one of her major goals was to one day start her own nonprofit organization. As a young woman from a single parent household she was faced with many financial challenges as it related to higher education. Crystal knew that the only way she would be able to attend a reputable university would be through scholarships and
educational grants. Upon graduating from high school Crystal received a full scholarship from Wayne State University’s Journalism Institute for Minorities, now called the Journalism Institute for Media Diversity and a partial scholarship from the Detroit Free Press and Rosa Parks Scholarship Foundation. The scholarships changed Crystal’s life, but due to several obstacles she was faced with while earning her bachelor’s degree, it took Crystal well beyond 4 years to complete the program. She never gave up on her education and a few years later she was accepted into Wayne State’s master’s program and earned her degree in less than a year and a half. With the guidance of great mentors and hard work, Crystal earned a bachelor’s degree in Media Arts & Studies and a master’s degree in Public Relations and Organizational Communications. Since 2002, Crystal’s goal has been to produce a nonprofit organization that contributes greatly to low-income Detroit high school students (10th-12th grade) and their parents. Throughout Crystal’s educational and practical experiences, she has constantly thought about all of the ideas she had in mind for her nonprofit organization. After over 13 years of dreaming about her nonprofit organization, Crystal has finally decided to put her ideas on paper and launch The Success Center for Creators and Innovators, Inc. The organization will operate several programs that provide educational, creative and mentor programs for the students as well as resource and services for both students and their parents. Mission: To strengthen the community by creating endless solutions to enrich the quality of life and education for disadvantaged students and their parents. Vision: Our vision is to improve the quality of education and life for all high school students from low-income families by enhancing each and every one of their creative outlets, while providing the tools, resources and mentorship program to guide them through high school to college and to corporate America. During the students’ educational journey we envision providing their parents with every possible resources to alleviate stress from their everyday life and help with their children’s educational expenses. Values: The core values of The Success Center for Creators and Innovators are:
-To inspire our students to reach their highest potential.
-To mold young men and women into visionaries and leaders.
-To be compassionate to everyone and be passionate about the primary focus, the students.
