From the time I was born on May 28th, 2000 until December of 2003 life was normal for me. In December 2003 my Mom passed away. It was difficult for my family. My older brother, my Dad and I moved from our original house in Landover, Maryland. A few months later, my father was arrested. My grandmother, my momu2019s mother, began to take care of my brother and me.

Since my father has been incarcerated my brother and I have lived with close family members. So for a long period of time, my grandmother was our primary guardian until a fatal heart attack took her from us in 2011. Things have really been hard, but Iu2019ve made it!

In was late May, with graduation coming, and I had to choose between Bowie State and Hampton University. I chose Hampton University because I was determined to be successful. Iu2019m here a because my family and I feel it was Godu2019s plan for me to be at Hampton. Iu2019m destined to be great and prestigious. For me, this is more than just education, this is an opportunity to elevate and achieve my aspirations.