High School was a journey for me, unlike many others. I attended four high schools in five years, including high schools in California and Massachusetts, and experienced afternoon and charter schools. Family situations and the foreclosure of my home caused me to keep relocating and starting at new schools. At the time, I had no idea that this instability would introduce me to challenges beyond the classroom, give birth to a determination and self-belief that I carry with me today, and provide a humble confidence that I can overcome any obstacle in my path. Along this adventure to achieve my diploma, I was constantly put in new environments and meeting new people; in every situation, I was the new kid. Of course, at first, this was an intimidating scenario filled with nerves and insecurities, but I quickly grew past those feelings and started to embrace my circumstances. With no proper guidance or mentor on how to deal with these conditions, I activated a family recipe that I had seen my mother demonstrate on numerous occasions; no excuses get the job done. Those high school years were a revolving door of houses, people, towns, and states, but I credit a tremendous amount of my success to that period and adversity. Those conditions eliminated the fear of the unknown and replaced it with an eagerness; it developed my social skills and increased my trust in myself to problem solve and thrive in any setting. As I am on the verge of a voyage to another state and a new beginning, I always relate to those years and the growth as a person resulting from those predicaments. It gave me a better understanding of who I am and how I can be calm amid chaos, that a setback is just an opportunity to get back, that I will not fall short of expectations, and will rise to achieve the goals I set for myself. I learned that no tribulation could not be triumphed over. Life will always present you with hurdles you must jump over and pitfalls you must climb out of. Remain diligent, stay focused, and continue the process. The pen is mightier than the sword. Your mind is a person's greatest strength. How you handle situations, good or bad, will ultimately set you up for success or failure. Keep your mind sharp and train your mental fortitude. Life will constantly challenge you no matter how peaceful you feel. There are always unforeseen threats that test your discipline. My experiences have prepared me for all outcomes the universe can offer me. I have learned to trust myself and believe in my abilities and teachings to achieve above adverse circumstances.

Moments in your life define the person you are. We all are a product of our environment and experiences, and I am no different. When I have an internal conversation with myself, I think accurately about the person I am. I see I am the result of my family values. I am a confident, highly energetic, and compassionate person with a strong awareness of others and an understanding of life's roller coaster. I am a family-first-oriented person who is motivated daily to provide and succeed for the benefit of my loved ones. I am a big dreamer and a creative thinker with a hunger for self-development and progression. These traits were instilled in me as a child and became my foundation when facing adversity. I come from a single-mother household growing up with my two sisters. My aunts and cousins were growing up in similar situations. Money was always an issue, and we did not have as much as others, but Mom always provided, and in moments of despair, the family always stuck together and aided each other. Perseverance became our family motto, and over time, my mother and aunts were able to find stability and financial success. They were an example for me of how to overcome my biggest challenge. High school was a journey for me, unlike many others. I attended four high schools in five years, including high schools in California and Massachusetts, and experienced afternoon and charter schools. Family situations and the foreclosure of my home caused me to keep relocating and starting at new schools. At the time, I had no idea that this instability would introduce me to challenges beyond the classroom, give birth to a determination and self-belief that I carry with me today, and provide a humble confidence that I can overcome any obstacle. Along with this adventure to achieve my diploma, I was constantly put in new environments and met new people; in every situation, I was the new kid. Of course, at first, this was an intimidating scenario filled with nerves and insecurities, but I quickly grew past those feelings and started to embrace my circumstances. With no proper guidance or mentor on how to deal with these conditions, I activated a family recipe that I had seen my mother demonstrate on numerous occasions; no excuses get the job done. Those high school years were a revolving door of houses, people, towns, and states, but I credit a tremendous amount of my success to that period and adversity. Those conditions eliminated the fear of the unknown and replaced it with an eagerness; it developed my social skills and increased my trust in myself to problem solve and thrive in any setting. I have been a volunteer football coach for the past eight years in an urban community where many kids I coached were from similar backgrounds to me. The biggest reward was helping them develop and blossom as young men. Helping cultivate these kids and carve out a path for their self-growth clarified my passion for helping youth. As a result, my local high school recruited me to be a freshman coach, and I was also hired in the school district and worked at multiple schools, including elementary, middle, and high schools. This broadens my scope of children to assist, from kindergartens to seniors, and only reinforces my hunger to help youth who were misguided, misunderstood, or lost in that moment of their life. Once I obtain my degree, I will continue these efforts and elevate to a more prominent position where I can make a more significant difference.

People are like snowflakes. Identical from afar, but when you zoom in, we are unique, and no two are the same. I have always been the odd one out. Growing up in a home with my mother and two older sisters, I have always been the opposite. They want to sit and relax, and I want to do backflips off the couch. From a young age, my high energy in a subdued environment birthed my creative thoughts and propelled my visionary thinking. I lived up to the annoying little brother mantra and was often scolded for my behavior. This left me feeling insecure at times and confused about how being myself was a bad thing. For many years I attempted to shield myself in public or group settings and display a calm demeanor, but more often than not, my body or mind would let loose, and my free spirit would roam. I always embraced my uniqueness in private and never felt ashamed of who I was, but I did feel that I could be a burden to others and went out of my way to mask myself to people and present what I considered a more appropriate Jonathan. Time and maturity taught me a magnificent lesson: by limiting myself, I was robbing others of the experience of meeting the genuine me and depriving myself of making authentic connections. I love the person I am. I no longer feel I have to cater who I am to my audience. I bring who I am everywhere I go while respecting that my energy might not please everyone. I have broken free from the mental chains that used to weigh me down. I’m a forward thinker. I’m a dreamer. I stretch a thought and envision the peak of that idea. I enjoy time to myself when I can operate within my mind and forecast successful, positive situations I want to be in. However, I am far from a loner. I can be a social bug and quickly feel comfortable in crowds. The human experience delights me, and I take joy in group outings where people can be themselves and express themselves freely. The acceptance I have for myself oozes from my body. Throughout the years, this has attracted many in search of mastering their uniqueness. I hope everyone will one day allow their natural self to shine. I understand the impact it made on me when I no longer focused on what others wanted and let my true self exist. I accept people for who they are and encourage them to be themselves. We all were born with gifts tailored to the individual. As I encounter others on my journey, I pass on these words. Be you. I share my story and support others’ biographies. I speak on positivity and confidence and constantly remind them that there are billions of humans on the planet, but there is only one you. I could not imagine living in a world where we are all alike; how boring. Diversity is beautiful. The uniqueness we bring gives color to the world. I went from being the annoying little brother in my family to the rock of my family. I became the connector. My youthful energy and innovative thinking bring excitement to all family functions. Indulge in your abilities and qualities and employ others to do the same.

Knowledge is priceless. Its value far surpasses the tangible materials you can obtain. As the old saying goes, give a person a fish, and they can eat for the night, teach a person to fish, and they can eat for a lifetime. However, most of the world is less generous than the fisherman willing to help you satisfy your hunger. The price of educating yourself can be astronomical and sometimes intimidating. As an adult learner and an older student, I understand the impact of debt and the importance of strategically planning to deal with it. At age twenty-five, I returned to school with a long-term plan of acquiring my master's degree and working in my dream career industry. I knew this would be a multi-step process, but one of my goals was to obtain as little debt as possible. Therefore, step one was achieving my associate's degree. To eliminate the need for loans, I remained a full-time worker. I took one to three classes a semester at a community college to keep costs low and ensure I could handle the coursework to maintain being an A and B student to secure financial aid each semester. This allowed me to receive my associate's degree and transfer with no new loan debt. Step two is where I am currently at. I know the journey to get my bachelor's degree will be extensively more expensive. Therefore, I ensured the university I transferred to would have internship requirements within its curriculum to graduate. This would set me up for immediate employment upon graduation to combat the loan debt. Also, utilizing multiple scholarship and grant opportunities such as this one to receive free funding lessens the amount needed for a loan. Unlike my associate’s degree, I will be a full-time student and a part-time worker. This will allow me to graduate in two years and repay my loans sooner. Step three is my master’s degree. After receiving my bachelor’s degree and entering the workforce within my respective field, I intend to return to school to obtain my master’s. The approach will be similar to the one I took when achieving my associate’s. I will work full-time and balance how many classes I take per semester with my work schedule and ability to perform the coursework. The hope is not to need any or very little loan assistance. I have already completed step one of this plan and am in step two’s beginning stages. I am excited that step one has worked flawlessly and encouraged the effectiveness to continue. This will lead me to obtain my three degrees with minimal loan debt successfully.

Moments in your life define the person you are. We all are a product of our environment and experiences, and I am no different. When I have an internal conversation with myself, I think accurately about the person I am. I see I am the result of my family values. I am a confident, highly energetic, and compassionate person with a strong awareness of others and an understanding of life's roller coaster. I am a family-first-oriented person who is motivated daily to provide and succeed for the benefit of my loved ones. I am a big dreamer and a creative thinker with a hunger for self-development and progression. These traits were instilled in me as a child and became my foundation when facing adversity. I come from a single-mother household growing up with my two sisters. My aunts and cousins were growing up in similar situations. Money was always an issue, and we did not have as much as others, but Mom always provided, and in moments of despair, the family always stuck together and aided each other. Perseverance became our family motto, and over time, my mother and aunts were able to find stability and financial success. Being an example for me of how to overcome my biggest challenge. High School was a journey for me, unlike many others. I attended four high schools in five years, including high schools in California and Massachusetts, and experienced afternoon and charter schools. Family situations and the foreclosure of my home caused me to keep relocating and starting at new schools. At the time, I had no idea that this instability would introduce me to challenges beyond the classroom, give birth to a determination and self-belief that I carry with me today, and provide a humble confidence that I can overcome any obstacle. Along with this adventure to achieve my diploma, I was constantly put in new environments and met new people; in every situation, I was the new kid. Of course, at first, this was an intimidating scenario filled with nerves and insecurities, but I quickly grew past those feelings and started to embrace my circumstances. With no proper guidance or mentor on how to deal with these conditions, I activated a family recipe that I had seen my mother demonstrate on numerous occasions; no excuses get the job done. Those high school years were a revolving door of houses, people, towns, and states, but I credit a tremendous amount of my success to that period and adversity. Those conditions eliminated the fear of the unknown and replaced it with an eagerness; it developed my social skills and increased my trust in myself to problem solve and thrive in any setting. I have been a volunteer football coach for the past eight years in an urban community where many kids I coached were from similar backgrounds to me. The biggest reward was helping them develop and blossom as young men. Helping cultivate these kids and carve out a path for their self-growth clarified my passion for helping youth. As a result, my local high school recruited me to be a freshman coach, and I was also hired in the school district and worked at multiple schools, including elementary, middle, and high schools. This broadens my scope of children to assist, from kindergartens to seniors, and only reinforces my hunger to help youth who were misguided, misunderstood, or lost in that moment of their life. Once I obtain my degree, I will continue these efforts and elevate to a more prominent position where I can make a more significant difference.

High School was a journey for me, unlike many others. I attended four high schools in five years, including high schools in California and Massachusetts, and experienced afternoon and charter schools. Family situations and the foreclosure of my home caused me to keep relocating and starting at new schools. At the time, I had no idea that this instability would introduce me to challenges beyond the classroom, give birth to a determination and self-belief that I carry with me today, and provide a humble confidence that I can overcome any obstacle in my path. Along this adventure to achieve my diploma, I was constantly put in new environments and meeting new people; in every situation, I was the new kid. Of course, at first, this was an intimidating scenario filled with nerves and insecurities, but I quickly grew past those feelings and started to embrace my circumstances. With no proper guidance or mentor on how to deal with these conditions, I activated a family recipe that I had seen my mother demonstrate on numerous occasions; no excuses get the job done. Those high school years were a revolving door of houses, people, towns, and states, but I credit a tremendous amount of my success to that period and adversity. Those conditions eliminated the fear of the unknown and replaced it with an eagerness; it developed my social skills and increased my trust in myself to problem solve and thrive in any setting. As I am on the verge of a voyage to another state and a new beginning, I always relate to those years and the growth as a person resulting from those predicaments. It gave me a better understanding of who I am and how I can be calm amid chaos, that a setback is just an opportunity to get back, that I will not fall short of expectations, and will rise to achieve the goals I set for myself. My aim is a career in the sports field, with my current focus on coaching, but I am also open to the business and management side. However, the birth of my son has adjusted my goals slightly and provided new motivation and hunger for knowledge and success. As my son grows, my selfishness shrinks. His future and growth are essential in my decision process and my choices. The instability and lack of direction I had in my youth, I vow to eliminate from his. My goals have shifted from my desire to coach to now being the most complete and intelligent individual I can be to provide him the opportunities to maximize his potential. That starts with obtaining my bachelor’s degree and then my master’s, leading to my ultimate goal of a career in the sports industry that I enjoy and can financially provide for my family.

We are all shaped by the people who help raise us. However, this is not limited to the loved ones in our home. Countless influences come from connections we make with others in our community. Our morals are instilled by our caregivers and influenced by our role models and mentors. Growing up without my father's presence, I leaned on the positive male figures in society to help guide me. Like most young men raised without a father, youth sports were critical to my development. Momma could kiss my booboos and provide clothes and food, but she could not teach me how to be a man. Instead, I had to learn specific life lessons from men who could relate to my struggles and understand my behaviors and thinking. My youth football coaches started this process and gave me discipline, focus, and confidence. They helped a kid with abundant energy and no direction channel his abilities toward a positive path and strengthened his belief in himself. I recognize the impact those coaches and the game of football had on my life. I have been a volunteer football coach for the past eight years. I started at the age of twenty-three in an urban community where many kids I coached were from similar backgrounds to me. Teaching the game and watching them succeed on the field was joyful, but the biggest reward was helping them develop and blossom as young men. Helping cultivate these kids and carve out a path for their self-growth, and building a sustainable positive relationship for them to flourish clarified my passion for helping youth. After five years of coaching Pop Warner football, I was recruited by my local high school to be a volunteer coach at the freshmen level. I was also hired in the school district and worked at multiple different schools at all three levels, elementary, middle, and high school. This broadens my scope of children to assist, from kindergartens to seniors, and only reinforces my hunger to help youth who were misguided, misunderstood, or lost in that moment of their life. Once I obtain my degree, I will continue these efforts and elevate to a more prominent position where I can make a more significant difference. I aim to be a varsity coach or an athletic director. Upon receiving my degree, I can qualify for these positions. I will use my degree and the knowledge I have learned to help mold young men and women to aspire to be the best version of themselves. I want to grow my community, starting with the youth and preparing them for the challenges they will face as they mature and enter adulthood. Most importantly, I want to encourage them to have faith in their skills and ability and ensure they know they are uniquely themselves and may accomplish anything they set their mind to.

We are all shaped by the people who help raise us. However, this is not limited to the loved ones in our home. Countless influences come from connections we make with others in our community. Our morals are instilled by our caregivers and influenced by our role models and mentors. Growing up without my father's presence, I leaned on the positive male figures in society to help guide me. Like most young men raised without a father, youth sports were critical to my development. Momma could kiss my booboos and provide clothes and food, but she could not teach me how to be a man. Instead, I had to learn specific life lessons from men who could relate to my struggles and understand my behaviors and thinking. My youth football coaches started this process and gave me discipline, focus, and confidence. They helped a kid with abundant energy and no direction channel his abilities toward a positive path and strengthened his belief in himself. I recognize the impact those coaches and the game of football had on my life. I have been a volunteer football coach for the past eight years. I started at the age of twenty-three in an urban community where many kids I coached were from similar backgrounds to me. Teaching the game and watching them succeed on the field was joyful, but the biggest reward was helping them develop and blossom as young men. Helping cultivate these kids and carve out a path for their self-growth, and building a sustainable positive relationship for them to flourish clarified my passion for helping youth. After five years of coaching Pop Warner football, I was recruited by my local high school to be a volunteer coach at the freshmen level. I was also hired in the school district and worked at multiple different schools at all three levels, elementary, middle, and high school. This broadens my scope of children to assist, from kindergartens to seniors, and only reinforces my hunger to help youth who were misguided, misunderstood, or lost in that moment of their life. Once I obtain my degree, I will continue these efforts and elevate to a more prominent position where I can make a more significant difference. I aim to be a varsity coach or an athletic director. Upon receiving my degree, I can qualify for these positions. I will use my degree and the knowledge I have learned to help mold young men and women to aspire to be the best version of themselves. I want to grow my community, starting with the youth and preparing them for the challenges they will face as they mature and enter adulthood. Most importantly, I want to encourage them to have faith in their skills and ability and ensure they know they are uniquely themselves and may accomplish anything they set their mind to.

High School was a journey for me, unlike many others. I attended four high schools in five years, including high schools in California and Massachusetts, and experienced afternoon and charter schools. Family situations and the foreclosure of my home caused me to keep relocating and starting at new schools. At the time, I had no idea that this instability would introduce me to challenges beyond the classroom, give birth to a determination and self-belief that I carry with me today, and provide a humble confidence that I can overcome any obstacle in my path. Along this adventure to achieve my diploma, I was constantly put in new environments and meeting new people; in every situation, I was the new kid. Of course, at first, this was an intimidating scenario filled with nerves and insecurities, but I quickly grew past those feelings and started to embrace my circumstances. With no proper guidance or mentor on how to deal with these conditions, I activated a family recipe that I had seen my mother demonstrate on numerous occasions; no excuses get the job done. Those high school years were a revolving door of houses, people, towns, and states, but I credit a tremendous amount of my success to that period and adversity. Those conditions eliminated the fear of the unknown and replaced it with an eagerness; it developed my social skills and increased my trust in myself to problem solve and thrive in any setting. As I am on the verge of a voyage to another state and a new beginning, I always relate to those years and the growth as a person resulting from those predicaments. It gave me a better understanding of who I am and how I can be calm amid chaos, that a setback is just an opportunity to get back, that I will not fall short of expectations, and will rise to achieve the goals I set for myself. These difficulties forever shape my view on the future and how I choose to progress through life. The vulnerability and insecurity I felt experiencing the constant change and movement are what crafted my hunger for stability. It is crucial in how I outline my future and persevere through tribulations. I take my life one day at a time. Executing one step at a time toward my overall plan. Life has taught me you can not control everything and every situation you face. However, you can control your attitude and how you face dilemmas.

Most of our first words are mama. From the moment we take our first breath and open our eyes, mom is right there as we begin our journey into this beautiful world. This bond starts on your birthday and, for most, continues throughout your life. As a child raised without his father being present, my mother's strength, perseverance, and determination molded me into the man I am today. Her ability to overcome her mother's death as a child and then raise three kids on her own after being homeless at sixteen with her first child demonstrated the ability to overcome your circumstance and propel you forward through an adverse situation. My mother is far from the fairy tale TV sitcom show mother. She is not overly affectionate or compassionate. Instead, she is a doer; she gets things done. As a teenager, my mother was homeless in the inner city of Boston and faced life-altering adversity. Without a mother's guidance to help navigate her, she had to overcome being a high school dropout single mother with three kids at twenty-one, and that's precisely what she did. Growing up, I knew we had less than other families, and money was far from abundant. However, my mother put her head down and worked to create a better life for us, never making excuses or blaming her circumstances. Witnessing her efforts and hearing her teachings on life developed my mentality to rise above any challenges and fostered a powerful belief in myself. I am a strong-willed individual who understands that life will present you with peaks and valleys. Setbacks are always present, but so is opportunity. You may not be able to control life, but you can control your own life, and ultimately your final destination is up to you regardless of what people say or believe about you. My mother's impact is the example she placed before my eyes. She is my role model, my hero, and my motivation. Unfortunately, many with her backstory never elevate their life. Instead, they continue to fall victim to the continued struggle of living in poverty. My mom showed me how to push forward. She showed me that when you fall down, you get back up. When everyone doubts or puts limitations on you, you go deaf to their voices and set your ceiling. As a new father, I see daily that my values, principles, and morals come from the woman who birthed me. She was and still is instrumental to the man I have become and the father that I am. My outlook on life stems from her journey and vantage point. I am not afraid of a challenge; I welcome it. I dream big and set my goals past the stars. I aspire for success and do not need others' validation to feel accomplished. In many ways, I am my mother's son. I hone her hunger for progress, indifference toward doubters, and spirit to triumph over hardships. I have met and learned from many people throughout my life, but no one comes close to the impact of Maria Carvalho.

There is no more natural form of living than playing sports, especially team sports. It speaks to every inch of the human spirit and draws on every emotion. Sports breed confidence and provide guidance and discipline, which translates off the court or field—growing up a child who was a little lost in his youth and suffered from a lack of positive male role models. Playing sports and following sport role models shaped my life and views of the person I wanted to be and the goals I looked to accomplish. My life changed when I was in fourth grade. I did not have many friends and did not relate to many kids in my school. I was a minority whose family was from the inner city, but I grew up in a suburban town with few familiar with my culture. I kept to myself and could sense others being uncomfortable with me, making me feel out of place. Everything changed when I started playing football. We all wore the same jersey on that field and pushed for the same goal. More importantly, we spent hours together each day, and regardless of race, religion, culture, or beliefs, we bonded and accepted each other. On the first day of practice, I made one of my childhood best friends, who introduced me to many new friends and would become the group I mostly hung out with throughout middle school. In addition to developing my social appetite, I showed off some of my athletic talents. Before the football field, I had yet to learn some of my strengths, and my confidence was low. But, then started making plays and receiving my coach's praises. My teammates recognized me as one of the best on the team, and by the end of the season, my confidence had grown leaps and bounds from where it started. The impact of the sport of football on my life has been astronomical. It gave me answers when I had questions. It showed me I was talented and gave me faith in my abilities. It gave me new friends that carried me through my adolescent years. It opened my eyes to the sports world, and from then on, I started following sports leagues and athletes, with much of my discipline and guidance coming from these figures. The football field gave me connections to people. Yes, the game is fantastic, but the relationships are better. There is no substitute for that competitive environment wrapped in dependency on your teammates and wanting to succeed for yourself and the person next to you. Sports are a family; to be on a team means to be part of a family. This is my biggest motivation for a sports-related degree. I sincerely enjoy being part of the sports community and the unity that sports represent. I will always be in debt to the game of football. I credit it for my development and freeing me from my mental cage. I have been coaching football for the past eight years, and my dream is to be a coach on a professional level, but I will be satisfied with a career where I can still be involved with the sport of football and give back to the game that helped shaped the man I am today.

There is no more natural form of living than playing sports, especially team sports. It speaks to every inch of the human spirit and draws on every emotion. Sports breed confidence and provide guidance and discipline, which translates off the court or field—growing up a child who was a little lost in his youth and suffered from a lack of positive male role models. Playing sports and following sport role models shaped my life and views of the person I wanted to be and the goals I looked to accomplish. My life changed when I was in fourth grade. I did not have many friends and did not relate to many kids in my school. I was a minority whose family was from the inner city, but I grew up in a suburban town with few familiar with my culture. I kept to myself and could sense others being uncomfortable with me, making me feel out of place. Everything changed when I started playing football. We all wore the same jersey on that field and pushed for the same goal. More importantly, we spent hours together each day, and regardless of race, religion, culture, or beliefs, we bonded and accepted each other. On the first day of practice, I made one of my childhood best friends, who introduced me to many new friends and would become the group I mostly hung out with throughout middle school. In addition to developing my social appetite, I showed off some of my athletic talents. Before the football field, I had yet to learn some of my strengths, and my confidence was low. But, then started making plays and receiving my coach's praises. My teammates recognized me as one of the best on the team, and by the end of the season, my confidence had grown leaps and bounds from where it started. The impact of the sport of football on my life has been astronomical. It gave me answers when I had questions. It showed me I was talented and gave me faith in my abilities. It gave me new friends that carried me through my adolescent years. It opened my eyes to the sports world, and from then on, I started following sports leagues and athletes, with much of my discipline and guidance coming from these figures. The football field gave me connections to people. Yes, the game is fantastic, but the relationships are better. There is no substitute for that competitive environment wrapped in dependency on your teammates and wanting to succeed for yourself and the person next to you. Sports are a family; to be on a team means to be part of a family. This is my biggest motivation for a sports-related degree. I sincerely enjoy being part of the sports community and the unity that sports represent. I will always be in debt to the game of football. I credit it for my development and for freeing me from my mental cage. I have been coaching football for the past eight years, and my dream is to be a coach on a professional level, but I will be satisfied with a career where I can still be involved with the sport of football and give back to the game that helped shaped the man I am today.

The mirror can be a lot of people's worst enemies. It forces you to look at yourself and reflects your physical appearance. However, what a mirror indeed reveals is not tangible. It peaks into your psyche and calls forth your subconscious to shine a light on your mindsight. For some, this summons negative thoughts and views; for others, it births optimism and sparks positivity. For me, the mirror is a constant reminder of how far I have come and how much more I have to accomplish. When I ponder what I value most, I start with the conversation I have in the mirror. I am a resilient, committed dreamer with an unwavering self-belief to overcome obstacles. I have a hunger for progression and a thirst for success. I strive to reach passed my potential and become a role model for my son, family, and community. My confidence is one of my crutches; it's a quality I covet about myself and keeps me strong when I feel vulnerable or insecure. Ironically it is born in a place of failure, and I was not always this absolute in my abilities. My confidence stems from my openness to failure, and I am not afraid of it. I am only scared of not trying. Coming from a single-mother household and watching my mother take my sisters and me from an apartment to a house, then homeless, and then back to a house taught me never to submit to adversity and that your story is always ongoing. As the author, you are responsible for the next chapter. So I value my confidence and appreciate its role in facing challenges and achieving my goals. My other crutch is my humility. I come from humble beginnings and a family that has triumphed over many setbacks and traumatic situations. Understanding these obstacles makes me empathetic to my fellow humans facing their unique trials and tribulations. I value this trait because it tames my ego and reminds me that we share the human experience and no one is superior to the other. When my confidence begins to overflow, my humility drains the excess and puts my focus back into perspective. It keeps me aware of the others around me and respects their journey alongside mine. When I look into the mirror and subconsciously analyze myself, these two characteristics come to the forefront. They speak to the core of who I am and are essential for prosperity in my life journey. The confidence to stand in a room of alpha personalities and not wilt, the humility to stay grounded after each accomplishment, and refrain from judging your companion. The two qualities keep me eager yet poised, and they assure me that I can thrive in any situation. I have many traits, no different than any other being that lives on this earth, but confidence and humility are the two I value the most.