INSPIRATION
"I was kind of a broken kid at the time, so I wasn’t talkative at all. I was really quiet and to myself and my uncle knew that, but he brought me back here. My aunt and my little cousins were excited to see me with my broken tooth and big black eye.... But I was getting better. They were bringing me back to church, and I was realizing what Jesus had done for me—saved me off the streets, sent my aunt and uncle for me, and I regained that relationship with Him.”
JOY
“It was a beautiful time in my life because I had no money, but that never bothered me, and looking back on it, I question why that never bother me—being 19, living at my dad’s with a person who also had no money, and that never mattered. All that mattered was that beautiful baby and how much joy she brought to my life.”
STARTING FROM SCRATCH
“If I had to say where my story would start, I would definitely say it started as a teen mom.”
LABELED
“I never really tried hard or cared because I figured I was learning disabled and I would always be disabled. That stuck with me for a long time.”
RECOVERY
“I want my kids to know that no matter what they go through in life, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Twenty, twenty-five years ago, there was no hope. In another semester or two, I’m going to be walking across that graduation stage.”
COMING BACK
“If you have a story, and you’re able to explain it and show that you’ve done something, then your grades—I mean they matter, but they don’t.”
RESILIENCE
“Factors that have benefited my sobriety and my recovery—school and education. There are a lot of ideals that I believe—like, I know for myself—that I was raised with, that I learned. Coming to college has led me to realize what is actually relevant, and I can drop those old ideals and gain new ones.”
Purpose
“My purpose, honestly, is to be the best person I can be.”