More about Ndona
This is the place that my family, the Perrin family, has called home for six generations now (my children being the 6th). This is the place where I learned how to ice skate at the original Robert Crown, danced at the Kiddie Disco, took ballet lessons downtown Evanston, and learned how to improve my French in after-school courses at Lincolnwood Elementary school. This is also where I was taught to stand up for myself and others and never be afraid to speak the truth, even when it is not the popular thing to do.
As one of thirteen children, my grandmother, and almost all of my extended maternal family were born and raised in Evanston, attended and graduated from Evanston/Skokie District 65 public schools, including my daughter Lila when I returned To Evanston in 2018, with her attending my alma mater Haven. In addition to Haven, I attended Kingsley, before it was an elementary school and only offered a head start program (pre-kindergarten), and Lincolnwood. I was on the softball team and was a young actress in Haven Help Us, Baba Yaga, and outside of school I used my dance skills in Marvin in the Black Ensemble, but I discovered that I was an artist at Haven when I was invited to participate in YEA! (Young Evanston Artists). Raised by my extended family in the Fifth and Second Wards, my maternal grandmother Julia Perrin-Winfield and great-aunt Mildred Perrin played an integral part in my upbringing and are the reason why I have a passion for helping children and giving back to the community that raised me.
When times were rough at home, Family Focus Evanston and Fleetwood-Jourdain (Foster Center), and Second Baptist Church Evanston were my home. The community stepped in and filled in the gaps to make sure that my sister and me never missed any field trips, and were taught different life skills, hard work and dedication to career and education, including cooking, baking, sewing, cleaning, laundry and ironing. We participated in diverse programs such as Working Wonders where I learned how to manage money and received my first paycheck. I sang in the Family Focus Choir and participated in the Drum & Bugle Corps. It was in my hometown of Evanston that I would jump Double Dutch and play hopscotch with all of my neighborhood friends, surrounded by the village that I knew loved and cared for me. They made sure I was safe and stayed out of trouble. But even when I did get into trouble they made sure it wasn't permanent and that there was always a positive solution.
My formal education in economics with a concentration in finance, French, and fine arts led to a career as a stockbroker on Wall Street in New York City, as well as throughout the United States, Canada, and Africa. In addition to English, French, and some Spanish, I speak several indigenous African languages. My family foundation, community and my hometown gave me the freedom to explore and not to be afraid to "think outside of the box". The Evanston I knew taught me that anything is possible!
For over twenty years I have worked as a Financial and Business Consultant and have had the opportunity to travel extensively encountering the many people and different cultures that I read about and researched as a child in District 65 and District 202 schools. Because I had such a great education in Evanston public schools, I was always praised everywhere I lived. Upon my return in 2018, I enrolled my children in District 65 and District 202 and immediately became an active parent, just like my mother once was.
Since my return, I have served as President of the Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee of District 65 (BPAC) and have been a member of the African-American, Black, and Caribbean Parent Group (ABC), and Haven Middle School PTA. My son Christophe Muboyayi graduated from ETHS in 2021 and is now a sophomore at New York University in New York City while my daughter Lila Muboyayi is now a rising senior at ETHS. I am a member of the ETHS Black Advocacy Network (E-BAN). My most recent community-impact work has been as an Advocate with Evanston Cradle to Career doing community outreach and engagement, connecting with community members and organizations throughout the City of Evanston. As a recently elected executive committee member of the Evanston North Shore Branch of the NAACP, I Chair the Youth and Young Adult committee and I am a member of the Democracy & Voting Committee, Environmental & Climate Justice Committee, and Social Media Committee Chair. In 2015, I founded a grassroots organization that eventually became Majestic Reign, a S.T.E.A.M. focused nonprofit organization that was officially registered and received its 501(c)3 designation in 2020. The mission is to guarantee children and families have equal access to the best quality education and technology in the United States and the Democratic Republic of Congo regardless of income or background. In 2016, I co-founded with Lonnie Wilson, Our Village the Black Evanstonian a Facebook Group, a vehicle of information about the history, politics, and daily news for the Black community. My most current and impactful community engagement role is that of the Participatory Budgeting Field Manager for the City of Evanston, where I am able to connect with underserved communities and organizations to educate them on the process of participatory budgeting and ARPA funds.
In everything I do, I am intentional in my actions and am determined to make a positive impact on children and families. I have a strong belief that in order to serve a people, you must first know who they are, if you don't know who they are, you must be willing to learn their history, so that you are able to best meet their needs.
I am a 5th Ward resident who has dedicated my life to advocating for the Black community and the recognition of the contributions of Black Americans and the African Diaspora in the history of the United States and the world. I am also a proud first-generation Congolese-American and have dedicated my life's work to advocating for the underserved, including emergent language learners, immigrants/refugees, children with disabilities, and SPED children, and helping their parents to navigate the educational system. I believe we can reduce systemic barriers for these children while striving to meet all children's educational needs. My long track record has proven that I am an active and involved parent and community member.