The struggles I have endured over the years is what has motivated me to keep pursuing my goals in life. I was kicked out of my house when I was 18 years old, I had no where to go, I lived in a motel for a out a year and paying for the motel was costing me majority of my checks. There were a lot of times I would only eat once a day and that would be at work, and I would walk two miles a long the high way just to get to work, I worked 16 hour days five days a week, and I still worked 8 hour days on Saturdays to be able to save up money to move. I was living in an unfamiliar town, I had no friends, and I fought the urge to buy a car so I could put every bit of money towards moving again. I became pregnant when I was 21 and at the time my life was going great, I finally wasn't struggling, I had my apartment, my own car, I didn't have a care in the world except for myself. I was devastated when I became pregnant. I was selfish to say the least. I didn't want to become responsible for another person when I just became responsible enough for myself. When my daughter I was still working on my Associates, I had long nights and very early mornings with her. I ended up pregnant again two years later and I had a son. My son was born 10 days before I started the last semester of my Associates degree. I was very overwhelmed, stressed, and I cried a lot. I now can say, proudly, that I have graduated with my Associates and will be graduating with my Bachelor's as well, and will be graduating with Latin Honors. I live on a very tight budget right now, but as soon as I start working in the real estate field, like I have always planned, that will all change. As a single mother, I didn't want to put my goals on hold or even forget about them. I knew obtaining my goals might be a little harder than before and definitely more stressful, but I am a planner and a little OCD and when things don't go according to plan I tend to freak myself out a little. My life has always seemed full speed ahead since I was 18 because I had to grow up so quick. I have never really felt like I could sit down and relax in what feels like forever. However, I would not trade my children for anything and I want them to be proud of me and know that yes, I struggled and still am, but I will do whatever I can to make sure I can give them a good life. I don't necessarily believe a degree is necessary to be successful, and I won't even push one onto my kids. I just want them to know that when they find what they love to do, find a way to capitalize on it. When you do what you love you don't work a day in your life. I'm sure there are still challenges that I will encounter, but I am ready to face them head on.

I have had to do a spiritual do over at least three times in my life. I grew up Pentecostal, and realized when I turned 8 that that religion was not for me. Then from 8-13 I practiced Catholicism. I thought that religion really fit me and I felt very confident in my faith. When I turned 13 though, I realized the only reason I could tell anyone about my religion and what is was about was because what I learned was very repetitive. I can still say the Rosary forwards and backwards, I can still walk you through the nativity scene, but if you any questions about either of them, in depth questions, I would not know how to answer you. From 14 to now I stumbled upon a non-denominational church and I have been stuck with it ever since. They were non-judgmental, accepted everyone from different walks of life, and they made me feel very welcome. I never left God, I just had to leave my churches and certain religious groups until I found one that really helped me practice my faith, and allowed any and all questions to be asked. I feel as though my faith was really tested when I became pregnant with my daughter. I was 21 when I became pregnant with her and I was living my best life and I did not want to give that up. I was depressed and was adamant that I did not want to keep her. I was so unfamiliar with abortion at the time that when I went to my OBGYN appointment they told me I was to far along to have one, so I had to stick out my pregnancy. When my daughter was born, I couldn't believe I ever had those thoughts to not keep her. She is 4 now. When I was pregnant with my daughter I joined a national non-profit organization called Embrace Grace, which I am now actively involved in, that program gave me so much hope in being able to care for my daughter and grow in my spiritual journey with God. There are three different programs in Embrace Grace and I am in the Embrace Life Program. I mentor the girls in their spiritual growth with God, budgeting, finances, resumes, resources around the county, etc. I am really big on helping the girls know that they do not need a college degree to be successful in life. I am in the process of graduating with my bachelors in business occupation and then will be obtaining my Loan Signing Agent License where I will be able to do contract work and make enough money to where I no longer have to work two jobs. There is hope for a better future and I did have to do some praying, but God delivered. I could not have succeeded in life without him by my side and I want my girls to know that God will always be there in are good and bad times. I want them to be successful, and they will be, and if they ever have doubts then to just pray because God will give you answers. They may not always be the answers we want, but he does listen.

My dream future looks happy, and full of generosity and guidance for other people who need help. I enjoy helping people, and letting them know that their lives can get better and they do not have to be, and or feel stuck, in bad situations. I will be graduating with my bachelor's in business this year and plan to continue my education by obtaining my real estate license, as well as my Loan Signing Agent Certification. I am part of a program known as Embrace Grace and that program is aimed at helping single moms and dad prepare for their baby. there are different steps in the program and all are very beneficial. During the financer part of the program I teach the girls how to have stable, secure jobs with or with out a degree, we go over retirement funding, education planning for their kids, budgeting, etc. I enjoy teaching this to the girls because they become more confident in their future and being able to provide for their family and growing confidence they didn't know they had. Continuing my education and obtaining my certification will help me be able to have a much more flexible schedule. I have a full time job right now, I work Monday through Friday, and I am a single mom. As soon as I get off of work at 5PM I have to pick up my kids from daycare, go home and do my motherly duties, and then my kids have to go to bed. I do not feel like I have time to do anything fun, or just be there for my kids like I would like because my 8-5 takes up a lot of my time. I want to be able to make my own schedule, be able to do my motherly duties before my kids get out of daycare, so when it is time for them to come home we can spend more time together. Being a single mother is hard and there are time where I also have to work weekends as well to make ends meet, but having my own work schedule can make a difference for me and my kids. I love my job, my boss, and the field that I am in, but having a 8-5 definitely limits me on certain things, and my family is one of them.

I have taken a different career path twice since I started college and my current career path, Law, is definitely the one I feel is right for me. I have two kids now while doing my undergrad and it can be very challenging to navigate working full time, going to school full time, being a mom to my kids, trying to stay in shape, making sure they are eating right while making sure they get time outside to play, trying to help them learn to be good people, making sure they understand the best they can that I am working towards a better future for them, and somewhere in there have a social life as well. My undergraduate degree has made me very proud of myself because I have realized that I can do everything that I want, still be a good mom, and still get an education. There is a lot of pressure on me because I am the first in my family to go to college and also to obtain a higher degree of learning. I plan to get my real estate license after I graduate in the the Fall of 2022 because I feel working in the real estate field will give me a better understanding of real estate law. I plan to go to law school after utilizing my real estate license for a bout three years so I am able to save up money for school. However, I know Law School does not always work out for some people and in the midst that is doesn't I wanted to have a back up career. I want to work in the real estate field regardless if I go to Law School or not. I feel having a business mindset and having a good understanding of finances and the housing market can really make me a valuable asset to the real estate legal field. My undergrad degree has challenged my punctuality, time management skills, imagination ( when writing free write papers), and my comprehension with complex tasks/assignments. I feel I can use these skills greatly in the work field and My undergrad degree has helped me become a stronger learner, better worker, and more punctual in my every day life. I am a planner when it comes to my life and I do not like to stray away from my plan otherwise I feel discombobulated. I like to have a plan with my life, education, and family. My goals for y education are much doable I just have to put my heart, mid, and soul into it and be ready for the long night study sessions, early morning homework sessions, and great support from my kids.

Seeing my babies when they were born was a very happy memory. I have always wanted my boy and girl and I was happily blessed with both of them. I want nothing more in life than to be the best mom for them, give them everything they could need, keep them as safe as I possibly can, and to be a good leader for them. I want them to learn about the good, bad, and ugly, but to also be optimistic about the world the best the know how.

I currently work for a criminal defense attorney so we handle mainly criminal cases from juveniles to adults. Before taking this job I was looking on the outside in when it came to criminals. If I heard someone was blamed for kidnapping or sexual assault I would automatically be disgusted with them and want them gone from society. Now that I am looking on the inside out I have learned that regardless of the situation I need to have empathy for these alleged because not all of them are guilty of such acts. we had a client that was guilty of murder and all over the news he was being branded with the word murdered when in reality, he didn't kill anyone. Everyone is entitled to court representation and no one is guilty unless proven so. This was a significant change in perspective for me because when I realized I was applying to work for a criminal defense attorney I was kind of skeptical. I didn't know if I was going to be able to handle the job because, well, they're criminals. now, are some of them just all-in-all bad people? yes, but they are still entitled to court representation per the constitution. I realized, aside from empathy, my job is to help make sure everyone is getting their full constitutional rights. My perspective, from originally looking at criminals, was lock them up, but now it's empathy and securing their rights.

My Kids and my hardships make me happy. I got pregnant when I was 21 and to me I still felt like a kid at the time. I got pregnant again when I was 24 and the world became overwhelming because I had no idea how I was going to manage a full time job, going to school full time, having two kids, maintain my house, a social life, staying active, etc. I still don't know how I am managing it, but I do know I want my kids to never have to struggle with life like I did. I want to do better for myself so I can do better for them. I bought a new construction house before my daughter was born because I wanted to live somewhere where there would be little to no maintenance for awhile so we wouldn't have to worry about a house that was falling apart. I have also faced many hardships in life such as being homeless at 18, having no money, wondering where my next meal was coming from, and having to walk two miles to work because I had no vehicle. My hardships make me happy because it makes me realize how far I have come in life and how it is possible to come out of a dark place. I worked really long days, went without, had to manage surviving on the bare minimum and I did it. I was able to move from where I was, get a car, a new apartment, and eventually a house. I'm a single mother now, but that's okay. I have goals and I am still working my way towards them.

I am currently involved in the Embrace Grace program here in my town. Embrace Grace helps single, pregnant women on their spiritual journey with Christ and gives them support on resources that they are able to use during and after their pregnancy. I want women to know that if they are scared about their pregnancy there are support groups to help them whether they decide to keep their baby or not. Embrace Grace does not shame any mother for whatever choice they decide to make with their pregnancy and that is what I love about the program the most. I did not come from a very open family that educated me on pregnancy and the risks but also the beautiful side of being intimate with someone. I feel it is important as a single mother with two kids to be open and honest with my children so they feel comfortable to talk with me, and that they know about support groups such as Embrace Grace. I want the community to know more about Embrace Grace because it was only brought to my attention when I went to the pregnancy center to see if I was pregnant. I was not told about Embrace Grace at my prenatal visits and I think it was because the doctors were not familiar with the program, which is understandable. First time mothers/fathers need support because they are about to be taking care of another human who is going to be completely dependent on them and that is a scary thought and process. hearing advice from other mother's and being in a group with other parent's can help with support and gives different insight on the parenthood journey. I am also just getting involve with Allies Against Slavery. It is an organization that wants to stop the slavery industry, such as sex trafficking, and they use a software called lighthouse that helps you and your organization understand trends in human trafficking, spot victims of exploitation, and coordinate quality care. They help train you in how to use this software, get you licensed, you can go to webinars to learn more about the software as well. I want my children and my community to know that there are bad people out there who will use them for their own personal gain, but there is an innovative way to intercept this process and help find people who are being enslaved. I am still fairly new to this organization and I am still learning a lot, but what I have learned is that there is definitely a great number of people out there who care about those who are enslaved and want to help free them. We can never permanently stop the evil in the world, but if we can try and intercept the evil and prevent it the best way we can then I want to be apart of that. There have been sex trafficing signs in my community recently and it scares me to know that. I do not go out at night with my kids, I do not go to a crowded park so I can watch them better, I tend to go to smaller water parks instead of big ones, etc. I want my kids to be aware of the evil in the world and hopefully they want to be apart of Allies Against Slavery one day as well as Embrace Grace.

My college experience this year has been at home because I am online. In this year while going to school I got divorced, became a single mom, got a new job, and started my undergrad program all in this year. I'm tired is an understatement. I'm ready to reach my goal is the motive. My college experience doesn't just involve school, but my personal life as well. STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM, BUT I WILL GET THERE Bad At Love-Halsey Drinks- Cyn good for you- Olivia Rodrigo Diva- Beyonce Back to school again- Four Tops