Overcoming my educational struggles has been a huge part of my journey. My learning disability made it difficult for me to have confidence and belief in myself. Being told I wasn’t capable of being successful in life made me want to disappear from the world. But, there was a part of me telling me that I was more than that, and I became determined to reach for the stars. Being a young African American girl made it more difficult because teachers never put in the effort to help me. My mother is a huge contribution to my learning of life with her powerful, encouraging words. She would tell me, “Don’t let one obstacle discourage you from finishing the race”. And, that sticks with me to this day. This quote is very meaningful to me and has guided me through many obstacles. Saying this to myself every day and night sparked an urge inside of me to keep going. I am capable of anything that I put my mind to. I am currently an early college high school student. And, I have received my associate degree before even graduating high school. Every challenge that I have faced has been worth it and it has helped me find myself and led me down the path of success. Those challenges have shaped me into the successful young woman that I am today. I never let the moments of uncertainty sacrifice a lifetime’s worth of success. Being able to get this far despite the obstacles encouraged me to help younger students do so. Not everyone has that guidance to push and motivate them to believe in themselves. I started to mentor students by teaching them how to overcome their educational struggles and find that confidence within themselves to become unstoppable. Upon graduation, I will be attending the Xavier University of Louisiana in the fall. Xavier is the top historically black university in the nation to graduate black doctors. Attending Xavier will get me a step closer to my dreams. “Don’t let one obstacle discourage you from finishing the race” is the reason for how far I have come in life.