If Tomorrow Comes and I Am Gone

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About the Author
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Educator, activist, and entrepreneur, Jordan Trent was born Terra N. Gay on March 10, 1972, in Baltimore, MD.She is the middle child of three girls, born to parents William and Annye Gay. Her family lineage includes a
long line of educators, so it was only natural that she too took her rightful place in the field of education.
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However, despite this rich legacy, and Trent’s natural gift to transform the lives of young people, her mother and father gifted her and her sisters with the power of possibility; reminding them that they were limited onlyby their imaginations.
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Trent has lived by this critical teaching throughout her life and in April 2011, was empowered to publish her first children’s book, If Tomorrow Comes and I Am Gone. She was inspired to write a book that would help
families and children, who are or have been battling cancer, understand, adjust, and cope with the diagnosis.
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The voice of the story’s main character, McKenzie, came to Trent after her own personal breast cancer scare.“Though young and impressionable, children are extremely resilient,” says Trent. “They are able to deconstruct some of the most complex issues, including cancer, and formulate ideas around those issues.
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However, as adults, we must provide them with the tools to do so.” For Trent, Tomorrow is one of those tools that will help parents and children adjust to and live with the disease. While cancer is a prominent theme of the book,Tomorrow can be used as a resource for families and children who are facing illness of any kind.
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Trent hopes that readers will be inspired, encouraged, and most importantly uplifted by the messages of family unity, love,and courage that Tomorrow provides. Additional motivation came from her two nephews, whose combined first names she used to create her pen name. Of this Trent says, “My breast cancer scare really caused me to think about my legacy and how I will be remembered.” She continues, “Though I have no children of my own, I consider myself a second mother to my
nephews.
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They are my joy. As inheritors of my legacy, I hope Tomorrow will bring them as much pride as they do me.” Trent is currently working on three additional children’s books. Like Tomorrow, each is designed to
help strengthen families and children.
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In addition to writing children’s books, Trent’s passion for young people is evident in her extensive 15‐year career as an educator. She is also a certified leadership development trainer and community and youth
advocate. Trent has worked directly with community groups, corporations and local businesses to raise and manage nearly 19 million dollars to support educational initiatives, engagement of AmeriCorps members,
school and technology renovations, and more.
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Most recently, she developed The Ngambika Academy (a Kiswahili word pronounced Nam‐bee‐kah, meaning‘help me carry the load’), which is designed to provide a ‘train the trainer’ model and curriculum for volunteers and mentors seeking to create ongoing leadership, service learning, and life skills training for young people.
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Before graduating from Emory University, she served in local schools as a mentor and tutor, which led her to over a decade of service with the National Service Movement, via AmeriCorps and VISTA programs.
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Post Office Box 2371, Forest Park, GA 30298 • Jordan.Trent1@gmail.com
Trent has partnered with and provided leadership on a variety of corporate projects to include: Jones of New York, national Teacher of the Year teacher/classroom makeover; The Home Depot, national, multimillion dollar
schools and community renovations program; SAP and Xerox, national digital upgrades and digital divide programs; The Coca‐Cola Company, local and national Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Service initiatives; The
Cartoon Network, national PLAY campaign; United Parcel Services (UPS), annual community ‘give back’campaigns; Federal Express (Fed Ex), 100 Black Men of America, and Delta Airlines.
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She has trained youth and community members in service and leadership around the country via partnerships with Habitat for Humanity, City Year, KaBoom!, The Magic Johnson Foundation, The Chaka Foundation, Target,
Bank of America, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Jet Blue, Office Depot, The Learning Channel (TLC), and many more.
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Trent remains driven by her belief that as young people are encouraged to use their personal journeys,creativity, and talents, they will be better equipped to affect meaningful and lasting change in society. That
coupled with the support of mentors, families, local businesses, and community organizations, generations of young people will in the words of Mohandas K. Gandhi, “. . .be the change [they] wish to see in the world.”
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About the book
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Every night, young McKenzie travels many places in her dreams. But she always wonders, if tomorrow comes and she is gone, what her mother will miss most. When illness comes to their family, her dreams and inquisitive heart help both she and her mother discover what happens if tomorrow comes and she is gone.
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For more information about The Ngambika Academy and/or to request training support, please visit http://www.thengambikaacademy.com/. To purchase copies of If Tomorrow Comes and I Am Gone, please visit www.wix.com/jordantrent/if‐tomorrow‐comes‐i‐am‐gone, Amazon.com, or BarnesandNoble.com.
Both can be found on Facebook and Twitter: Jordan Trent and @JordanTrent1 or @NgambikaAcademy.
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For inquiries about speaking engagements, book signings, or other public appearances, please contact Paulette Payne at PaulettePayne.LePubliciste@gmail.com.