When I was a little boy my mother once told me how much I amazed her. I had always assumed it was the typical love and praise expected from your mother and never paid it much thought. She told me “there isn’t anything in this world you cannot do; simply things you have yet to do.” I began applying that mantra to my daily life in my teens and was the first member of my family to graduate high school. Then the first to graduate college. All the while I have been actively involved in volunteerism and activism for the marginalized, disenfranchised, and under represented. This is where I learned my passion for people, community, and it’s development. My hard work and determination has lead me to wonderful opportunities but I have started to encounter difficulties of progress due to the necessity of advanced degree requirements. I have re-enrolled, and now look forward to being the person my family, colleagues, and community look to, in order to continue progress and development. I have found my purpose.