As a Black female, raised in a single-parent home with five siblings, living in an impoverished high-crime neighborhood, who experienced trauma and abuse and was the first family member to receive undergraduate and graduate degrees, I am acutely aware of the stereotypes and stigmas associated my demographic and historical characteristics. I am keenly aware of the lack of knowledge and demonstrable statistics that show the full complexity and holistic contexts of this upbringing—the life that led me to where I am today. I am also aware of the importance of resilience, supportive adult role models and community programs that aim to promote youth health and wellbeing. I experienced all these in my life experiences. I noted the lack of strategies and tools that addressed the diverse social, cultural, and environmental contexts within which these youth were developing. These were the impetus for my desire to understand the contexts that promote health in the lives of diverse youth.