To live is to suffer. To survive is to find meaning in the suffering (Earl Simmons). I can attest because I have had my fair share of trauma. Growing up in poverty, and losing my brother (from another mother) to gun violence is tough. Add to the fact that I went to prison for aiding and abetting a strong arm robbery that I had nothing to do with is a miscarriage of justice. Some would say it sounds like a movie, I say it's my reality.

Instead of becoming a bitter person I turned to my passion - education. My focus became to better my mind, body, and soul with each day that passed. With hard work and dedication I attained my GED and four Associates of Art degrees. I have been put in some tough situations but my emotional resilience turns them into valuable life lessons. I have survived because I am the Gift, the Dream, and the Hope of our ancestors!!!! (Maya Angelou). I am a constant reminder that we are what we do repeatedly. Excellence, then is not an act but a habit. (Confucius)