My life as a parent was almost cut short when I had a stroke six weeks after my daughter was born. While I was fighting for my life in the ICU, she was just getting started with hers. During my recovery, she has had to watch me get help with walking, eating, and bathing, and has seen me take up to 24 pills a day. Now, at the age of four, she gets to watch me get ready for work on my own, make her dinner, and do my homework at night as I prepare her for bedtime. Because of my stroke, I hesitated to go back to school because I lost my memory and ability to know the correct words to use while speaking. I was embarrassed and felt like I could never be the person I was before my brain injury. My daughter changed all that. She encouraged me to not give up because she saw me as her superhero. She saw me as a survivor and not the victim I felt I was. She helps me remember when I forget and keeps me going when I get tired. When I talk about school it makes her interested in college. Even at the age of four, she has declared what university she plans on attending and what career path she wants to take, all because she wants to take care of me for the rest of her life. I want to continue my journey in higher education because I want to show her that no matter the obstacle, with encouragement, faith, and hard work, as women we can make a difference in the world. I know that completing my degree will allow me to advance at work, but more importantly, it sets an example for my daughter. So while my stroke almost took me from her as an infant, it has now bought us together in a way I could have never imagined. I know that there is a plan and a purpose for me to still be here and impact my daughter and my community. I want to continue to help students and their families learn about the college process and assist them through the hurdles and challenges my family and I faced in my undergraduate years. Even though I am currently only taking one class at a time, I know when I walk across the stage, unassisted, it will be the most rewarding experience for both me and my daughter.