Amidst dealing with cleaning her carpets and finding the new pee spot of her twice-removed ex-girlfriend's cat Pedro, Luticia Coleman vets students through application and interview processes to determine if they will benefit from her program. Through her program she sets students up with 10-week summer internships as well as providing programs to prepare them for future jobs and teaches the basic skills needed to communicate and network professionally.
Coleman graduated from Lourdes College in Ohio with a B.A. in business administration. She went on to graduate studies at DePaul University in Chicago and received a master's in public service. Of her current career she said, "It's nice to have a job that I can use my master's degree for. This program is grant-funded through the Department of Child and Family Services."
Besides working for Kaleidoscope, Coleman serves on the advisory board for Lesbian Community Care Project or LCCP. She began working in the LGBT community by volunteering for Howard Brown Health Center; she later interned with the agency for nine months. She worked on the annual event called Taste for Every Palate to gain knowledge and perspective on the community. She also worked for Equality Illinois for two years on the board of directors.
On June 12 at the United Church of Christ, Coleman entered a civil union with Nancy, her partner of eight years. Coleman said of the church, "We chose the church First Congregational Church of La Grange because as a whole they ordained the first gay male mister, the first African American, and the first woman. My partner is religious and we wanted to choose a church that would be welcoming and comfortable. We were actually their first civil union."
Nancy Coleman has been an educator for at least 15 years. At the end-of-the-year banquet at Nancy's school they celebrated her coming union with gifts. Luticia Coleman was appreciative because "30 years ago she would have been fired instead of celebrated."
THE STATS
Name
Luticia Coleman
Age
40
Relationship status
Civil union with Nancy
Hobbies
Cooking and gardening
Favorite artist/band
"I get made fun of because I am a big Bon Jovi fan."
Favorite candy
"I would say M&Ms, but I have to go with Skittles. We recently had issues with M&M's because they [ were ] our wedding favors."
Fun fact from the past
Served as a cook for eight years in the Ohio Air National Guard
Fun fact from the present
Specifically bought her house with an in-law suite so that her father could stay with her