My background is nothing but a sob story. I don't stem from a family of wealth or a family that has or had much of anything, but my family was rich in character, respect, and love. None of my older cousins and aunts attended college; not because they weren't intelligent, but because they never had the proper guidance to tell them what to do or where to go. Growing up was rough because I never had anyone to look up to as a role model. I made it my point of duty to make all of my aunts, older cousins, and, more importantly, my younger brother proud while setting a good example for the younger generation. My mother told me constantly throughout my life that I could be anything and everything I wanted to be as long as I had perseverance and determination to do so. She also broke it down to me that even though I'm "Black", I can still do something admirable with my life and that I shouldn't permit anyone to put a limit on me. While growing up, countless people labeled me, saying that I'll grow up to be a "street walker" or a "drug dealer" or a "bum". I'm proving to them all that I can break their boundaries.
I'm determined to show everyone that they can amount to anything they want and do whatever they want, legally of course, and that there is no limit to what they can do educationally and life wise. Experiencing life in the "Ghetto" has changed me and made me tougher and more determined to make it "out" and aspire to something greater than what society set me to be. Where I've grown up has made me aware of my surroundings and has also made me face the reality that everything isn't what is seems. You have to keep the faith and keep fighting to make something of yourself, something satisfying, something worthwhile, something for everyone to look up to and say, "Yes I want my kid to come out just like him!", something to be respected for.
