Without question, my mother has been the greatest driving force in my life. I have witnessed her strength and determination throughout my life. Her resilience has shaped who I am today, and has given me the confidence to achieve the goals that I have set for my future. My mother is a Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse, and she has been my biggest advocate. I was born with a bicuspid aortic valve and aortic root aneurysm. She began advocating for me from the time I was born. At birth, she noticed that I had a heart murmur. She mentioned this to my pediatrician who agreed, and I was sent for the testing needed to confirm my diagnosis. My mother also made sure that I had understood that my diagnosis was not a hinderance in my life. Although I am not allowed to play contact sports, she exposed me to many different sports until I found my love for track and field. My mother strongly believes that the words you speak to yourself, whether positive or negative, are powerful and can transform what you think about yourself as well as what others think about you. Whenever I experience moments of doubt and fear, she always reminds me to focus on positive things that are true about me, or the situation and it helps me to remove the feelings and focus on facts. Beyond her ability to advocate for me and encourage me, she has also impressed upon me the power of education. She has two bachelor's degrees and a master's degree and is focused on continued education. She believes that when you stop learning, you stop growing. I enjoy school but admittedly, I have had to work hard to maintain my 3.4 GPA. There are times when I get frustrated over assignments or discouraged with my results on standardized tests, but she is always there to encourage me and let me know that a test or grade are not the total sum of who I am as a person. She makes it a point to remind me of all the things I have accomplished in the classroom, on the field, and in the community. Her belief in me encourages me to want to believe in myself. My mother is also a strong believer in giving back to your community. She is a member of several membership organizations that have a strong component of community service. One of which is The Young Men's Service League where mothers and sons work side by side to serve our community. Because of her I understand that giving back is not just the right thing to do, but it can also be fun and build relationships that can last a lifetime. My mother may not be a celebrity, but she is an example of how it only takes one person to speak words of encouragement, do a good deed, or be an advocate in order to change the trajectory of the lives of others.